Andrea Yates

[days_unfolding]

Damn it. I just saw the guilty verdict for Andrea Yates. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

I've thought about the trial a lot (natch), but don't have enough resources right now to do much beyond swear and shake at this particular moment.

I'm not surprised. Given the way that the legal definition of insanity is written, I don't think that anyone could get an insanity verdict. (In fact, I would like to know of the circumstances of a case that resulted in an insanity verdict after the definition of insanity was rewritten.) Even the deepest and most incurably psychotic person understands some rules and can be influenced by reward and punishment. So, for that matter, does my cat, but I don't believe that my cat has the reasoning powers of a sane human being, nor should be held to the same standards of a sane human being.

I believe that justice has not been served in this case thus far.

Comments

[tequilasunset.livejournal.com]

There is no justice. I've seen child predators
get away with repeat offenses, a slap, and probation.
Andrea Yates was, and is clearly psychotic.
No one will benefit or learn from the punishment
she'll receive. This won't stop someone in a
psychotic state of mind from committing insane
acts. Even I, who was a victim of child abuse,
having strong feelings about punishing offenders,
feel that she should be in a hospital. I think they
are going to kill her, give her the death penalty.
Don't misunderstand me, I've experienced deep,
deep anguish thinking about her five children….

[days-unfolding.livejournal.com]

I don't misunderstand you at all. I also am horrified by how she killed her kids. However, I also am appalled that her crime is considered equivalent to that of someone who, say, robbed a place and killed the person who was working to get rid of witnesses. Punishing her (especially the death penalty) will hurt her family even more and won't deter anyone. Between the psychosis and having to live with what she's done, she already has been punished a lot.

The experts predict that she will get life imprisonment rather than the death penalty. Here's hoping that they're right.