A History of John Hinckley v. United States and Incarceration of the Mentally Ill
John W. Hinckley Jr. attempted to kill President Ronald Reagan, killing White House Press Secretary James Bradley in the process. The jury of the trial of John W. Hinckley Jr. v. United States found him Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. This sent the people of the United States into an uproar as they desired justice.
The Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984 was then put in place to restrict the use of the Insanity Plea.
However, the Act is now under scrutiny for an unfounded relation between it and the mass incarceration of the mentally ill in U.S. jails and prisons today. This presentation comes to the defense of the Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984 from these allegations through the history of John Hinckley and his attempted murder of President Reagan, the trial, and the affect of the Act.
HIST 499, Senior Capstone
Melisa Ortiz Berry
Bushnell History Symposium, P103
9:30 AM – Noon