The Barton Child Law and Policy Center at Emory University recently teamed up with with Lorio Forensics and Dr. Vinson to file an amicus brief in support of pertinence of the affirmative defense of insanity in Georgia’s juvenile courts.
SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT — AN EXCERPT FROM THE BREIF
Mental illness is not a disease reserved for the mature and developed mind. It does not lie in wait for one’s 18th birthday. It does not ask for an I.D. before entering the mind. It does not discriminate based on age. Mental illness is an equal-opportunity disease that preys on youthful minds in the same way it preys on adults.
If adults can raise an affirmative defense of insanity, it is capricious to disallow juveniles that same opportunity. Doing so robs those most vulnerable, psychologically impaired children from the most logical defense for their circumstances. It exposes them to punishment that is neither tailored to their person nor just in its administration. It is imperative for the Court to rectify this oversight and extend this dispositive safeguard to juveniles.
For more information or to receive a full copy of this document, please contact us at [email protected].
About The Barton Child Law and Policy Center
The Barton Center promotes and protects the legal rights and interests of children involved with the juvenile court, child welfare, and juvenile justice systems; inspires excellence among professionals; and prepares emerging practitioners for successful and rewarding child advocacy careers. The center accomplishes its goals through the provision of holistic legal representation to youth, public policy and legislative advocacy, community outreach, and professional education.
Source: law.emory.edu
