NCJ Number
117592
Journal
University of Detroit Law Review Volume: 62 Issue: 4 Dated: (Summer 1985) Pages: 715-728
Date Published
1985
Length
14 pages
Annotation
In its decision in People v. Darden in 1984, the Michigan Court of Appeals rejected the challenge to a State statute and held that a verdict of guilty but mentally ill is constitutionally permissible and that the trial court's findings were adequate.
Abstract
Larry Darden had been charged with felony-murder, unarmed robbery, and four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. At the trial, psychiatrists for both the defense and the prosecution testified about Darden's state of mind at the time of the alleged offense. In the appeal Darden claimed that the statutory definitions of mental illness and legal insanity were so vague and overlapping that the trier of fact was given unlimited discretion in deciding which verdict to return. Darden also challenged the treatment and evaluation provisions of the law. The appellate court's opinion illustrates its commitment to upholding legislative enactments. The law has many practical problems, but constitutional challenges of the type presented in the Darden case are unlikely to be successful. Footnotes.