John Hinckley, Jr. and the Insanity Defense: The Public's Verdict

Public furor over the Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity verdictin the trial of John Hinckley, Jr. already has stimulated legalchanges in the insanity defense. This study documents more systematicallythe dimensions of negative public opinion concerning the Hinckleyverdict. A survey of Delaware residents shortly after the trial'sconclusion indicated that the verdict was perceived as unfair,Hinckley was viewed as not insane, the psychiatrists' testimonyat the trial was not trusted, and the vast majority thoughtthat the insanity defense was a loophole. However, survey respondentswere unable to define the legal test for insanity and thoughtHinckley would be confined only a short period of time, contraryto the estimates of experts. These findings, in conjunctionwith other research showing the public is not well informedabout the insanity defense, underscore the importance of examiningdeterminants of opinion about the insanity defense before additionalreform is undertaken.