| STUDY SHEET -- CHAPTER 8 Why don�t special programs to prosecute "career criminals" work? How often is the insanity defense successfully used? What happens to the rare defendant who �wins� using an insanity defense? How dangerous are the criminally insane and how does the prediction problem relate to this? Is sending mentally ill people to prison better than sending them to institutions? Has (or will) changing the insanity defense reduced crime? Is plea bargaining a loophole that lets serious criminals off? How does the law appear to allow for a huge maze of appeals in criminal cases? Why are appeals actually rare in reality? (note: with plea bargains there is nothing to appeal!) What are �writ writers�? Appeals are not rare in death penalty cases - why? (shoddy trials and numerous mistakes) |