Week 1 Assignment

Guilty But Insane

For this week’s assignment, you will evaluate criminal justice in selected countries. Since mens rea refers to criminal intent, the concept of guilty but insane sounds like an oxymoron to most people. Chapters 1 and 3 in the course text discuss international perspectives on criminal law. Find additional credible sources to research criminal intent in Great Britain and Norway. The Daniel McNaughton and Anders Breivik cases might be helpful. These cases are notorious for the guilty but insane defense in Great Britain and Norway.

For your assignment

• Assess how criminal intent in these two countries differs from the United States when it comes to an insanity defense.
• Describe at least one case in each country (Great Britain, Norway, and the United States) where this defense has been used successfully.

The paper

• Must be at least three double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must use at least three credible sources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sourcestab