Dangerousness and Legal Insanity

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Abstract
Men found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) are not held responsible for their criminal acts because it is assumed that in some way mental disturbance was responsible for those acts. The present study considered dangerousness as an alternative explanation of violent acts committed by NGRI patients. Three correlates of dangerousness–-high antisocial behavior, low intelligence, and high social withdrawal–-were combined into a single index. Comparison of 55 NGRI patients who had committed violent acts and 204 violent criminals revealed that the NGRI patients scored higher on this dangerousness index than did the criminals. This difference was obtained even after a control for disturbed thinking was introduced.

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