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Andrea Yates--Not Guilty. Do you agree with the verdict?
Yes, it was the right decision 10 (71.4%)
No, I disagree with the decision 4 (28.6%)
I dont' have an opinion 0 (0%)
Total Votes: 14
Andrea Yates; NOT GUILTY!
Topic Started: Jul 26 2006, 06:07 PM (401 Views)
BikerLikeAnIcon
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Andrea Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning deaths of her 5 children. She was re-tried because of a loop hole in the first trial. Do you agree with this verdict?
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theonlyfab4fan
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Yes I do think it was the right verdict. She had a well documented history of mental instability. While I do not condone her actions and I am saddened and sickened by what she did, I do believe that under the definition of legal insanity that she certainly met the criteria.
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john lemon
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I agree-

Also not guilty implies she will be free. She will never be free. Shes clearly a loon.
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JeffLynnesBeard
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I had to look this up, so for anyone wanting further details visit here for full details.

From what I've read, it's clear that this woman was insane. So yes, I think it was the right verdict. It's tragic for those five innocent children, though. It's so very sad. :(
...and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
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modgirl1964
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Pleading under an insatinty plea is probably one of the pleas that a DA and judge dreads the most, it is also a headache. It's a very fine line of trying to get a not guilty plea by insatinty because you do have to go through so much to actually prove that it is true. I'm just not a fan of this because how do you know when one is insane, was it a temporary insatinty, is it permant? In this case, is she still insane or was it just post pardom? Personally, I think she should of just had done her sentance and that was it. Insane or not, depressed or not, she took innocent lives and needs to pay her time for it.
Bridget

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JeffLynnesBeard
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modgirl1964
Jul 26 2006, 07:48 PM
Pleading under an insatinty plea is probably one of the pleas that a DA and judge dreads the most, it is also a headache. It's a very fine line of trying to get a not guilty plea by insatinty because you do have to go through so much to actually prove that it is true. I'm just not a fan of this because how do you know when one is insane, was it a temporary insatinty, is it permant? In this case, is she still insane or was it just post pardom? Personally, I think she should of just had done her sentance and that was it. Insane or not, depressed or not, she took innocent lives and needs to pay her time for it.

I'm surprised at that, Bridget - the criminal justice system isn't just about punishment and providing a deterrent to crime, it's about rehabilitation & reducing the risk of re-offending. What is the point of imprisoning someone who is insane and then releasing them, probably in a worse state of mind, thirty years later? How is that going to protect society? This person was a nurse, a high school valedictorian and her husband worked for NASA... she drowned her children to 'save them from damnation'. How is imprisoning her without attempting to cure her insanity serving either her or her childrens' memory? She already has a life sentence. If she ever regains her mind, how is she ever going to reconcile the fact that she's killed her five children? It's very probably that her treatment will be very lengthy and possibly will never provide the results the courts will require to free her - I think she already has a life sentence, but I'd rather see her in a maximum security mental health institution than a maximum security prison.

...and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
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modgirl1964
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JeffLynnesBeard
Jul 26 2006, 06:58 PM
modgirl1964
Jul 26 2006, 07:48 PM
Pleading under an insatinty plea is probably one of the pleas that a DA and judge dreads the most, it is also a headache. It's a very fine line of trying to get a not guilty plea by insatinty because you do have to go through so much to actually prove that it is true. I'm just not a fan of this because how do you know when one is insane, was it a temporary insatinty, is it permant? In this case, is she still insane or was it just post pardom? Personally, I think she should of just had done her sentance and that was it. Insane or not, depressed or not, she took innocent lives and needs to pay her time for it.

I'm surprised at that, Bridget - the criminal justice system isn't just about punishment and providing a deterrent to crime, it's about rehabilitation & reducing the risk of re-offending. What is the point of imprisoning someone who is insane and then releasing them, probably in a worse state of mind, thirty years later? How is that going to protect society? This person was a nurse, a high school valedictorian and her husband worked for NASA... she drowned her children to 'save them from damnation'. How is imprisoning her without attempting to cure her insanity serving either her or her childrens' memory? She already has a life sentence. If she ever regains her mind, how is she ever going to reconcile the fact that she's killed her five children? It's very probably that her treatment will be very lengthy and possibly will never provide the results the courts will require to free her - I think she already has a life sentence, but I'd rather see her in a maximum security mental health institution than a maximum security prison.

But see that is the problem Andy, there is just so many people who falsely plea under that. How can one truly tell who is insane? Yes, doctors and the like can do so, but how is a jury to tell or a DA and judge? Why is it those who commit a crime while insane must be let go? Yes, get them help by every mean, but do not let them go back into socitey. I just personally feel that this type of plea is overused and have been constantly abused by lawyers who look at it as an "easy way" out. I think if I had read more than what's just in news, I would of probably given a different point of view. I do feel sorry for her on the fact that it took the point that it did for people to see there was something wrong with her and hope that she gets all the help and care she needs. What I do not agree with how easily and loosely this plea is used in the legal stysem.
Bridget

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I do believe she had to be insane to commit the type of crime she did. But regardless of her mental state, she should never see the light of day again, whether she's put in a mental facility or the penal system.
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BikerLikeAnIcon
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Prison is not the place for her, but she obviously needs to be in a mental facility where she can get some help. Being a nurse, I understand psyciatric illnesses. She really believed that she was doing her kids a favor by saving them from hell.
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FamousGroupie
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Jul 27 2006, 05:43 AM
I do believe she had to be insane to commit the type of crime she did. But regardless of her mental state, she should never see the light of day again, whether she's put in a mental facility or the penal system.

I have to agree with Chad. This woman, whether or not she believed she was doing her kids a favour, should be locked away in a psyche facility and never see natural light again.
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JeffLynnesBeard
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modgirl1964
Jul 26 2006, 08:13 PM
But see that is the problem Andy, there is just so many people who falsely plea under that. How can one truly tell who is insane? Yes, doctors and the like can do so, but how is a jury to tell or a DA and judge? Why is it those who commit a crime while insane must be let go? Yes, get them help by every mean, but do not let them go back into socitey. I just personally feel that this type of plea is overused and have been constantly abused by lawyers who look at it as an "easy way" out. I think if I had read more than what's just in news, I would of probably given a different point of view. I do feel sorry for her on the fact that it took the point that it did for people to see there was something wrong with her and hope that she gets all the help and care she needs. What I do not agree with how easily and loosely this plea is used in the legal stysem.

Well, I understand why you feel that way and you're right up to a point. It's an unfortunate fact that the system is abused, but it's up to the experts to decide who is sane & who is insane when it comes to people committing crimes & their subsequent pleas and it's always the doctors who decide & make recommendations, not a DA or a jury. People must slip through the net, but that shouldn't mean that we go back to the "bad old days" when people with severe mental illness are imprisoned along with regular criminals. These people need treating as well as being kept away from society. Prison guards & Governors have a tough enough job without having to cope with the mentally ill as well.

You can punish mentally ill people all you like, but if they don't understand why they're being punished, what's the point? As for people who attempt to abuse the system, if plead insanity and are subsequently found to be 'trying it on' then they should receive a harsher sentence, in my opinion.
...and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
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JeffLynnesBeard
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FamousGroupie
Jul 27 2006, 12:09 AM
beep
Jul 27 2006, 05:43 AM
I do believe she had to be insane to commit the type of crime she did. But regardless of her mental state, she should never see the light of day again, whether she's put in a mental facility or the penal system.

I have to agree with Chad. This woman, whether or not she believed she was doing her kids a favour, should be locked away in a psyche facility and never see natural light again.

If she was mentally ill and completely insane when she committed those crimes, what do you do with her if she has been succesfully treated and is completely sane and rational in, say, fifteen years? Is it right to just keep her locked away and, if so, where do you keep her? Should a sane person be incarcerated in a mental asylum? I don't think so. As she's been found not guilty of the crime on the basis of diminished responsibility, she obviously can't go to prison.

I honestly don't believe there is any other alternative than to release her under those circumstances albeit under supervision.
...and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.
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waitingforatrim

At any rate...if she ever is set free she should NEVER be allowed to have children. So that, on the off chance of her going "temporarily insane" again, maybe she could only bring harm to herself.

Sorry this sounds so cold, but I can't get the thought those poor children out of my head.

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waitingforatrim
Jul 27 2006, 08:28 PM
At any rate...if she ever is set free she should NEVER be allowed to have children.  So that, on the off chance of her going "temporarily insane" again, maybe she could only bring harm to herself.

Sorry this sounds so cold, but I can't get the thought those poor children out of my head.

No, that's true! Chances are she won't get 'better' and if she does, not only would she have to live with what she did but she would probably be prone to slipping off the edge again. It's terribly tragic.
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BikerLikeAnIcon
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I don't see them ever letting her out. She went off her meds and that's why she went nuts and killed the kids. Who's to say she'd stick to her medication regimen if she was released?
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maccascruff
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All I will say is that I hope this woman never ever sees the outside world again and is never allowed to be alone with a child. She made her children watch as she drowned the others. Look what she put her husband through--a living hell on earth.

She needs to be locked up, whether it be a mental institution or a prison, and they should throw away the keys.

Sorry, but killing five children is unforgiveable to me sane or insane.
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King_Kameamea
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It was the right verdict. You have to be suffering from mental illness to drown your 5 children. There is actually a part of me that feels sorry for her because there will be times in her life when she is coherent and realizes what she has done and that will be very difficult for her to live with.
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