Facts About The Insanity Plea [Infographic]

Contrary to popular belief, the mentally ill are not all violent.  While some mentally ill people do commit crimes, they are actually statistically much more likely to be victims of violent crime than victims themselves.  Untreated mental illness can be a serious problem, as most violence that is a result of mental illness occurs in untreated or undiagnosed patients.  When mental illness is properly treated, the instances of criminal activity are on par with the general population.  Ninety percent of the mentally ill have no history of violence.

Pleading insanity isn’t as easy as some people would have you believe.  Only 1% of insanity pleas are successful, and 70% of defendants withdraw their insanity pleas once their trials begin.  When an insanity plea is successful, there is usually a legitimate reason for it.  Learn more about the facts regarding criminal insanity from this infographic.  You might be surprised by the facts!