The competency to stand trial issue is based on the basic legal principle
a) that trials should not occur without the accused being present.
b) that mentally ill persons may not be responsible for their crimes.
c) of innocent until proven guilty.
d) of free will and the knowledge of right and wrong.
Question 2As many as __________ of people with PTSD continue to experience diagnosable symptoms when interviewed several years later.
a) 10
b) 25
c) 50
d) 75
Question 3A primary purpose of the American Law Institute guidelines for defining the insanity defense was to
a) avoid specifying symptoms of mental illness that might later become obsolete.
b) be more specific and informative to lay jurors.
c) allow greater leeway for expert witnesses to define the concept of mental illness.
d) open the defense to the full range of mental illnesses.
Question 4A major result of the Insanity Defense Reform Act was
a) to require that a documented, preexisting mental condition exist at the time of a crime in order to use an insanity defense.
b) to clarify what specific crimes may be associated with insanity.
c) to restrict the insanity defense to multiple offenders.
d) to eliminate the irresistible impulse as a plausible insanity defense.
Question 5The Insanity Defense Reform Act shifted the burden of proof onto the
a) defense.
b) prosecution.
c) expert witness.
d) judge.
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