Abstract
It is not easy for students to see the subject of insanity and the criminal law as a whole. There is virtually no difficulty over what happens in court, for lawyers are concerned with that and it is adequately described in law books, notably in Archbold. But that is only part of the business, the other part being the concern of administrators. There is no mystery about what the officials do or about the reasons for their actions, and the application of intelligence to published material would give the student the right answer. However, a student may not get things right that way, as I remember that I failed to do (though whether by insufficiency of intelligence or of application I cannot say). I learned about these things when as a Home Office official I came to take part in working the system. The purpose of this note is to give students the framework of the subject. The Criminal Justice Act, 1948, has made some changes, and it is convenient to consider first the position before that Act and to begin with a trial on indictment.
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