Case Brief U.S v. Hinkley Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Brief U.S v. Hinkley - Essay Example The defense attorneys also presented medical evidence in the Court which supported their claim. On July 21, 1982, the jury acquitted Hinckley of his crime by accepting that he was suffering from insanity. The district court ordered him to be removed to St. Elizabeths Hospital for treatment of his mental condition till the time that he ceased to be a threat to himself and the community. (United States Vs Hinckley, n.d) The legislation governing â€Å"insanity† in the District of Columbia stated that a person accused of committing a crime could not be held responsible for his actions if, during the time of commission of the act, the accused suffering from a mental disease or illness â€Å"lacks substantial capacity to know the wrongfulness of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law†. It was evident that, there was a sound legislation in the Columbia district to prevent the legal system from prosecuting mentally unstable persons who had accidentally trespassed the law. Therefore, the main legal question which had to be ascertained in this case was whether John Hinckley was really mentally sick when he had attempted to assassinate President Reagan. The verdict of the case depended on this crucial finding. (Fuller, 1982, p1) During the process of trial, Hinckley’s defense lawyers argued that he was suffering from schizophrenia: a mental impairment which compels the patients to assume different characteristics during their interactions in society. In most cases, the patient while functioning as a specific individual is completely unaware of his identity as another individual which he has assumed unknowingly. The attorneys further declared that Hinckley was obsessed with an American feature film named â€Å"Taxi Driver† and his actions on that fateful day were significantly influenced by the events in the movie. The film portrays how the protagonist undertakes an attempt to assassinate the President of his national country.