I wrote at the beginning of the Andrea Yates retrial about the public opinion shift on mental health that defense attorneys were banking on to get her prison sentence overturned. Wednesday she was found guilty by reason of insanity, and the discussion has continued about whether people overall have become more sympathetic to those with mental illness that commit crimes. One high-profile trail being overturned does not seem like a large enough sample size to draw this conclusion, but I certainly hope it is an indicator that public awareness and sensitivity toward those affected with mental disorders is in fact on the rise. It may have just been strong arguing by the defense and a better jury for Yates.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 31 Jul 2006
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
Meek, W. (2006). Andrea Yates Verdict Change. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 25, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2006/07/31/andrea-yates-verdict-change/
