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Mad or Bad: Crime and Insanity in Victorian Britain
In a violent 19th century, desperate attempts by the alienists - a new wave of 'mad-doctor' - brought the insanity plea into Victorian courts. Defining psychological conditions in an attempt at acquittal, they faced ridicule, obstruction - even professional ruin - as they strove for acceptance and struggled for change. It left 'mad people' hanged for offenses they could not remember, and bad people freed on unscrupulous pleas.Written in accessible language, this book - unlike any before it - retells twenty-five cases, from the renowned to obscure, including an attempt to murder a bemused Queen Victoria; the poisoner Dove and the much-feared magician; the kings former wet-nurse who slaughtered six children; the worst serial killer in Britainand more.A Who's Who introduces the principal players - lifesaving medics, like Maudsley and Bucknill; intransigent lawyers like Bramwell and Parke., while a convenient Glossary of terms and ranging from Insane on Arraignment to Her Majestys Pleasure, Ticket of Leave to Burden of Proof, helps to explain the outcomes of the cases.Insanity Conditions presents, in glossary format, the diagnosed maladies put forward in court. Rarely accepted, more often rejected, by those keen on justice in its traditional form. A History of Debate explains the titular subject - through graspable language and a window in time. How the ones found 'not guilty on the grounds of insanity' were curiously handled in Victorian law.A chapter devoted to madness and women - from hysteria to murder, monthly madness to crime. Raising opportune questions about the issue of gender, and exposing the truths of a masculine world.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 30, 2017
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About the author
David J. Vaughan
6 books10 followersFurther details
www.davidjvaughan.co.uk
twitter: @David_J_Vaughan
facebook: David J. Vaughan
goodreads: www.goodreads.com/DavidJVaughan
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Published author (Pen & Sword, The History Press, etc), historian, blogger, book reviewer, media presenter and public speaker, David J Vaughan writes both fact and fiction including on history (often bloody), crime and insanity (spanning 500 years). A 'jobbing' feature writer across mainstream independent publications.
His latest book, The Suffering of Women Who Didn't Fit. 'Madness' in Britain, 1450-1950 was published by Pen & Sword History in November 2018.
His other titles include:
• Out of Control: Young Criminal Lunatics in Victorian Britain (Pen & Sword History, due 2019)
• Mad or Bad? Crime & Insanity in Victorian Britain (Pen & Sword History, 2017)
• The Little Book of Herefordshire (The History Press, 2016)
• Bloody British History: Salisbury (The History Press, 2014)
• The Secret Life of Celestina Sommer. A Very Victorian Murder (Amazon eBook, 2014).
All are available from leading High Street and Online retailers and direct from the publishers.
David also owns and writes his blog about Crime and Insanity in Victorian England, at criminalunacy.blogspot.co.uk, receiving in excess of 2000 hits every month.
He gives talks and lectures on various related topics of interest: such as crime, madness, local history and the archaeology of Britain.
He also reviews titles for Routledge and other, similar publishers of related journals and books.
David is a former Assistant County Archaeologist of Wiltshire, south-west England, but now lives in Herefordshire's glorious Golden Valley just outside the capital of books, Hay on Wye, home to the world-famed literary festival.
www.davidjvaughan.co.uk
twitter: @David_J_Vaughan
facebook: David J. Vaughan
goodreads: www.goodreads.com/DavidJVaughan
authorsdB: http://authorsdb.com/authors-director...
Published author (Pen & Sword, The History Press, etc), historian, blogger, book reviewer, media presenter and public speaker, David J Vaughan writes both fact and fiction including on history (often bloody), crime and insanity (spanning 500 years). A 'jobbing' feature writer across mainstream independent publications.
His latest book, The Suffering of Women Who Didn't Fit. 'Madness' in Britain, 1450-1950 was published by Pen & Sword History in November 2018.
His other titles include:
• Out of Control: Young Criminal Lunatics in Victorian Britain (Pen & Sword History, due 2019)
• Mad or Bad? Crime & Insanity in Victorian Britain (Pen & Sword History, 2017)
• The Little Book of Herefordshire (The History Press, 2016)
• Bloody British History: Salisbury (The History Press, 2014)
• The Secret Life of Celestina Sommer. A Very Victorian Murder (Amazon eBook, 2014).
All are available from leading High Street and Online retailers and direct from the publishers.
David also owns and writes his blog about Crime and Insanity in Victorian England, at criminalunacy.blogspot.co.uk, receiving in excess of 2000 hits every month.
He gives talks and lectures on various related topics of interest: such as crime, madness, local history and the archaeology of Britain.
He also reviews titles for Routledge and other, similar publishers of related journals and books.
David is a former Assistant County Archaeologist of Wiltshire, south-west England, but now lives in Herefordshire's glorious Golden Valley just outside the capital of books, Hay on Wye, home to the world-famed literary festival.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 18, 2017
A thank you goes to David J. Vaughan, Pen & Sword History, and Netgalley for sharing this copy for an unbiased opinion.
Mad or Bad introduces the reader to several judicial cases where the insanity plea was taken into account. All cases are set in the Victorian Britain era. The set-up is a bit disjointed with a glossary of terms in Part One, a list of important people in Part Two, a list of conditions deeming insanity in Part Three along with a confusing section on insanity debates, a special section on women and madness, then FINALLY, the case histories, which read like a rough draft as if each case is waiting to be fleshed out.
I do not like the layout of the book. There is no reason why all of those little so-called chapters are needed. The way it currently is, it's almost like an advanced outline for a presentation of an interesting book. The people can be delved into as they are introduced. The women issues could be an entire chapter with its corresponding cases. If the insanity conditions are to be discussed, then I think it would behoove the author to also inform the reader about the M'Naghten rule. That's the basis of the whole book really. Without that, one would have nothing. I'm not sure what to suggest for the history of debate. I think it's probably needed as background information, but it needs to be reformatted some way, and perhaps given more meat.
This book has a ton of potential. It needs work before it's published. I'm interested in reading the final draft.
Mad or Bad introduces the reader to several judicial cases where the insanity plea was taken into account. All cases are set in the Victorian Britain era. The set-up is a bit disjointed with a glossary of terms in Part One, a list of important people in Part Two, a list of conditions deeming insanity in Part Three along with a confusing section on insanity debates, a special section on women and madness, then FINALLY, the case histories, which read like a rough draft as if each case is waiting to be fleshed out.
I do not like the layout of the book. There is no reason why all of those little so-called chapters are needed. The way it currently is, it's almost like an advanced outline for a presentation of an interesting book. The people can be delved into as they are introduced. The women issues could be an entire chapter with its corresponding cases. If the insanity conditions are to be discussed, then I think it would behoove the author to also inform the reader about the M'Naghten rule. That's the basis of the whole book really. Without that, one would have nothing. I'm not sure what to suggest for the history of debate. I think it's probably needed as background information, but it needs to be reformatted some way, and perhaps given more meat.
This book has a ton of potential. It needs work before it's published. I'm interested in reading the final draft.
March 6, 2017
Mad or Bad – A Fantastic Social History
David J Vaughan has researched and written a fantastic social history on crime and insanity in Victorian Britain, something that in the Victorian period captured the imagination of the public at that time. Like today, in the new newspapers it was the exceptional crime stories that made the headlines, and this book looks at a few of those cases and looks deeper.
While I might argue that the 19th century was no more violent than previous ones, this was the period when newspapers were more widely read than ever before, and crimes were more widely known than before. Vaughan examines those cases where a new plea, that of insanity was brought before the courts.
This new plea of insanity, was an attempt to define psychological conditions of the accused in the hope that they may be acquitted. While looking back at this time with a new set of eyes where we can see some of those deemed mad were hung and some of those who were bad were freed, but who said justice was easy or simple?
Mad or Bad is a book that has been written in an easy accessible language, where various terms are explained for the reader, so they are not left attempting to understand what happened at the time. Vaughan has used a number of case studies explaining the cases in an easy and open way, he has studied the documentation from the trials and brings us the information the reader requires.
This is an excellent book for all those interested in social history and especially the effects of crime and how punishment was dealt with during the Victorian period. This is an intriguing book that brings to life a new line in a defendant’s armoury for their defence, while questioning how the British Justice System operated at the time.
This is an excellent book well worth reading for all those interested in the Victorian period and how crime was dealt with at the time.
David J Vaughan has researched and written a fantastic social history on crime and insanity in Victorian Britain, something that in the Victorian period captured the imagination of the public at that time. Like today, in the new newspapers it was the exceptional crime stories that made the headlines, and this book looks at a few of those cases and looks deeper.
While I might argue that the 19th century was no more violent than previous ones, this was the period when newspapers were more widely read than ever before, and crimes were more widely known than before. Vaughan examines those cases where a new plea, that of insanity was brought before the courts.
This new plea of insanity, was an attempt to define psychological conditions of the accused in the hope that they may be acquitted. While looking back at this time with a new set of eyes where we can see some of those deemed mad were hung and some of those who were bad were freed, but who said justice was easy or simple?
Mad or Bad is a book that has been written in an easy accessible language, where various terms are explained for the reader, so they are not left attempting to understand what happened at the time. Vaughan has used a number of case studies explaining the cases in an easy and open way, he has studied the documentation from the trials and brings us the information the reader requires.
This is an excellent book for all those interested in social history and especially the effects of crime and how punishment was dealt with during the Victorian period. This is an intriguing book that brings to life a new line in a defendant’s armoury for their defence, while questioning how the British Justice System operated at the time.
This is an excellent book well worth reading for all those interested in the Victorian period and how crime was dealt with at the time.
March 15, 2025
Good detailing of some of these crimes. Honestly Victorian Britian was a very strange place and a very hard place to live
February 7, 2017
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
2.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis:
A foray into the vagaries of the insanity plea in Victorian Britain and the criminals who used it for good or ill.
Having previously read two tomes about crime in Victorian Britain (The Secret Poisoner by Stratmann and The Wicked Boy by Summerscale) and having digested the above blurb thoroughly enough, I expected that Mad or Bad would be a similarly accessible foray into the vagaries of the insanity plea in capital crimes, with case studies that illuminate the atmosphere of the time and give an insight into the human elements of each case.
Mad or Bad is a lot drier than that.
Although the case studies aim for an accessible tone, the complexities of the laws surrounding the insanity plea and the brevity of description of each case meant that by the end of the book I just felt confused and ready to put the whole topic to bed. It seemed to me that in trying to highlight the seemingly random nature and chaotic legal background of the insanity plea, the author has been drawn into the chaos, resulting in a collection of case studies that seem disconnected and lacking in context.
Having said that, there are some extremely interesting points raised about the use of the insanity plea, particularly with regards to women committing crimes. I was hoping for a more narrative tone to the case studies, rather than dry information, but regardless, there are certainly some studies that boggle the mind in terms of evidence that was acceptable at the time and evidence that was overlooked or counted as irrelevant to the proceedings.
The biggest problem I had with this book was in its organisation and format. Bear in mind that I was reading an uncorrected proof and certain of my criticisms may have been ironed out before publication, or in subsequent editions, but I would have preferred to have seen the case studies grouped under relevant headings rather than placed one after the other. As a couple of the case studies reference previous (or subsequent) studies mentioned, it would have been helpful to have a mental framework, in the form of similar studies collected together, on which to hang (pun unintended) the information. I suspect I would have got more out of this book had I been able to, at a glance, look over and compare all the cases in which the prisoners received a reprieve for instance.
As ever, pictures would also have been helpful!
On the whole, if you are looking for a book about crime in Victorian Britain, I would probably plump for either the Stratmann or Summerscale tomes that I mentioned at the beginning of this post before going to this one, but if you are specifically looking for some background to the treatment of the "insane", you should find what you're looking for here, even if it takes a little while to find it.
2.5 stars
Ten Second Synopsis:
A foray into the vagaries of the insanity plea in Victorian Britain and the criminals who used it for good or ill.
Having previously read two tomes about crime in Victorian Britain (The Secret Poisoner by Stratmann and The Wicked Boy by Summerscale) and having digested the above blurb thoroughly enough, I expected that Mad or Bad would be a similarly accessible foray into the vagaries of the insanity plea in capital crimes, with case studies that illuminate the atmosphere of the time and give an insight into the human elements of each case.
Mad or Bad is a lot drier than that.
Although the case studies aim for an accessible tone, the complexities of the laws surrounding the insanity plea and the brevity of description of each case meant that by the end of the book I just felt confused and ready to put the whole topic to bed. It seemed to me that in trying to highlight the seemingly random nature and chaotic legal background of the insanity plea, the author has been drawn into the chaos, resulting in a collection of case studies that seem disconnected and lacking in context.
Having said that, there are some extremely interesting points raised about the use of the insanity plea, particularly with regards to women committing crimes. I was hoping for a more narrative tone to the case studies, rather than dry information, but regardless, there are certainly some studies that boggle the mind in terms of evidence that was acceptable at the time and evidence that was overlooked or counted as irrelevant to the proceedings.
The biggest problem I had with this book was in its organisation and format. Bear in mind that I was reading an uncorrected proof and certain of my criticisms may have been ironed out before publication, or in subsequent editions, but I would have preferred to have seen the case studies grouped under relevant headings rather than placed one after the other. As a couple of the case studies reference previous (or subsequent) studies mentioned, it would have been helpful to have a mental framework, in the form of similar studies collected together, on which to hang (pun unintended) the information. I suspect I would have got more out of this book had I been able to, at a glance, look over and compare all the cases in which the prisoners received a reprieve for instance.
As ever, pictures would also have been helpful!
On the whole, if you are looking for a book about crime in Victorian Britain, I would probably plump for either the Stratmann or Summerscale tomes that I mentioned at the beginning of this post before going to this one, but if you are specifically looking for some background to the treatment of the "insane", you should find what you're looking for here, even if it takes a little while to find it.
January 31, 2017
*ARC from Netgalley*
This book has interesting subject matter, but lacks meat. It delves into the period of crime and insanity in Victorian Britain, when there was a battle to understand mental illness and crime. The book uses case studies to show an unfair system and institutional misogyny influenced justice at the time. But most of this book reads like lists and Wikipedia entries. I suppose it's a good 101 crash course, but I wanted more.
This book has interesting subject matter, but lacks meat. It delves into the period of crime and insanity in Victorian Britain, when there was a battle to understand mental illness and crime. The book uses case studies to show an unfair system and institutional misogyny influenced justice at the time. But most of this book reads like lists and Wikipedia entries. I suppose it's a good 101 crash course, but I wanted more.
February 3, 2017
It is probably a foreboding start to a book when the 1st listed chapter is simply a glossary and a list of the important people involved with insanity pleas in Victorian times. I will admit to having read an uncorrected proof from NetGalley, so I am hopeful that either the editors will have made the grouping of these cases easier to read or some method of categorization has made more sense out of the seemingly random flow of the book. The second chapter is not much better in layout as it is another list of the different “insanities” that people pleaded. It seems that instead of working these bits into a narrative format or a version with footnotes, Author David J. Vaughan has simply placed a series of lists for the readers to push through until they get to part of the book they can relate to, which should be the fifth part of the book, the cases themselves.
As evidence by the sheer amount of procedural shows on the air and with 456 episodes of “Law and Order” alone, people love a good mystery and court drama. The introduction of the insanity plea, is an almost guaranteed way to create a media circus in the modern world. Because it is a mental break instead of a clear visible physical effect, it has always been subject to stricter questioning than simply bad people. The whole point of a title like “Mad or Bad” is to have the audience ask the question, was there something actually wrong with these people or were they simply bad people? I'm not sure that I was able to get a solid answer to this, as the mess that these court cases could be seems to have creeped into the book itself. Though footnotes are used later on in the case files, the constant flipping back and forth between sections to identify people and topics eventually proved more annoying than anything. Hopefully in the future eBook version there will be a way to simply click a link to jump between pages instead of the search option I had to use.
This is obviously well researched and Vaughan has put a great deal of effort into it. Unfortunately for me, I found it to be a difficult read and not to my taste. There are a number of other authors who have tackled this subject and have made it more accessible to their readers. If the editors and publishers are able to iron out the wrinkles in this book, it has great promise, but right now I wouldn’t recommend it.
*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Pen & Sword Books for honest feedback*
As evidence by the sheer amount of procedural shows on the air and with 456 episodes of “Law and Order” alone, people love a good mystery and court drama. The introduction of the insanity plea, is an almost guaranteed way to create a media circus in the modern world. Because it is a mental break instead of a clear visible physical effect, it has always been subject to stricter questioning than simply bad people. The whole point of a title like “Mad or Bad” is to have the audience ask the question, was there something actually wrong with these people or were they simply bad people? I'm not sure that I was able to get a solid answer to this, as the mess that these court cases could be seems to have creeped into the book itself. Though footnotes are used later on in the case files, the constant flipping back and forth between sections to identify people and topics eventually proved more annoying than anything. Hopefully in the future eBook version there will be a way to simply click a link to jump between pages instead of the search option I had to use.
This is obviously well researched and Vaughan has put a great deal of effort into it. Unfortunately for me, I found it to be a difficult read and not to my taste. There are a number of other authors who have tackled this subject and have made it more accessible to their readers. If the editors and publishers are able to iron out the wrinkles in this book, it has great promise, but right now I wouldn’t recommend it.
*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Pen & Sword Books for honest feedback*
June 23, 2017
I felt like this book was going to give me a lot more than it did. The description sounds great: In a violent 19th century... a new wave of ‘mad-doctor’ – brought the insanity plea into Victorian courts. Defining psychological conditions in an attempt at acquittal... It left ‘mad people’ hanged for offences they could not remember, and ‘bad’ people freed on unscrupulous pleas. Sounds fascinating and I'd still love to read that book, because unfortunately I still haven't.
It started off as a glossary of people who were going to come up later in the book (judges, barristers, legal idea definitions, etc), then proceeded to become a series of short vignette's revolving around various court cases in Victorian England that formed the law surrounding "criminal insanity". I wouldn't have minded the brevity of the individual cases if there had been more effort to actually explain how they each fit into the puzzle of these fascinating laws. It felt like the author/editors had made a decision that more was more, and they needed a ton of court cases stuffed into the book with little to no explanation on why they were relevant. My confusion wasn't helped by the constant mentions of people who had been listed in the glossary that I was apparently supposed to memorize before reading the rest of the book. Constantly having to refer back to those lists was irritating, and I eventually stopped altogether, especially with how annoying that is to do with an ereader. I would have much preferred if they had chosen a few specific cases and focused on really explaining those and the political/social ramifications behind them.
In the end, I just didn't feel like I got much out of this book beyond a whirl-wind tour of a bunch of cases that just blended together by the end. I wish it had been a more in-depth look at the legal ramifications and politics behind these cases, but it ended up being quite surface level without much depth at all.
Copy courtesy of Pen & Sword, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It started off as a glossary of people who were going to come up later in the book (judges, barristers, legal idea definitions, etc), then proceeded to become a series of short vignette's revolving around various court cases in Victorian England that formed the law surrounding "criminal insanity". I wouldn't have minded the brevity of the individual cases if there had been more effort to actually explain how they each fit into the puzzle of these fascinating laws. It felt like the author/editors had made a decision that more was more, and they needed a ton of court cases stuffed into the book with little to no explanation on why they were relevant. My confusion wasn't helped by the constant mentions of people who had been listed in the glossary that I was apparently supposed to memorize before reading the rest of the book. Constantly having to refer back to those lists was irritating, and I eventually stopped altogether, especially with how annoying that is to do with an ereader. I would have much preferred if they had chosen a few specific cases and focused on really explaining those and the political/social ramifications behind them.
In the end, I just didn't feel like I got much out of this book beyond a whirl-wind tour of a bunch of cases that just blended together by the end. I wish it had been a more in-depth look at the legal ramifications and politics behind these cases, but it ended up being quite surface level without much depth at all.
Copy courtesy of Pen & Sword, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 31, 2017
***This book was reviewed for the San Francisco Book Review
Vaughn’s Mad or Bad looks at the rise of the insanity plea in regards to crime, thanks to efforts of the alienists (precursor to psychologists), specifically in regards to Victorian Britain. There are five parts, discussing notables of the time, the qualifications of 'insanity’, important terms, a brief look at insanity in regards to women, and lastly, a series of case studies. There is a sheaf of pictures round abouts the middle of the book, with photos and sketches pertaining to the cases.
Part Five, Case Studies, is the longest, and looks at twenty-five cases, both men and women, young and old alike, detailing their crimes, whether they were ultimately judged insane, and the final verdict. While many of these disorders, most especially those conditions believed unique to the fairer sex, seem ludicrous by today's standards, nevertheless, many of these cases shaped how we think of criminal insanity today. It was, and still is, an evolving process.
As a person interested in both history and criminalistics, I found this book quite fascinating. Most of the cases dealt with murder most foul. Some, such as Edwin Bates, who attempted extortion on Prince Albert, bordered on the truly absurd. Many would likely have different verdicts today. I think, for one, of the case of Mary Brixey, who murdered her employer's infant son.
The cases within are laid out to the point, with no sensationalising of the facts. They all have quotes pulled from newspapers and court records of the time. Despite the relative brevity, many of the cases are still quite chilling. It always is, in cases where people think they've done nothing wrong in killing another...
📚📚📚📚
Vaughn’s Mad or Bad looks at the rise of the insanity plea in regards to crime, thanks to efforts of the alienists (precursor to psychologists), specifically in regards to Victorian Britain. There are five parts, discussing notables of the time, the qualifications of 'insanity’, important terms, a brief look at insanity in regards to women, and lastly, a series of case studies. There is a sheaf of pictures round abouts the middle of the book, with photos and sketches pertaining to the cases.
Part Five, Case Studies, is the longest, and looks at twenty-five cases, both men and women, young and old alike, detailing their crimes, whether they were ultimately judged insane, and the final verdict. While many of these disorders, most especially those conditions believed unique to the fairer sex, seem ludicrous by today's standards, nevertheless, many of these cases shaped how we think of criminal insanity today. It was, and still is, an evolving process.
As a person interested in both history and criminalistics, I found this book quite fascinating. Most of the cases dealt with murder most foul. Some, such as Edwin Bates, who attempted extortion on Prince Albert, bordered on the truly absurd. Many would likely have different verdicts today. I think, for one, of the case of Mary Brixey, who murdered her employer's infant son.
The cases within are laid out to the point, with no sensationalising of the facts. They all have quotes pulled from newspapers and court records of the time. Despite the relative brevity, many of the cases are still quite chilling. It always is, in cases where people think they've done nothing wrong in killing another...
📚📚📚📚
June 30, 2017
Crime and Insanity in Victorian Britain. In the 1800’s there was a lot of debate and controversy surrounding the use of an insanity plea in criminal cases. In this books, the author starts by presenting and overview of the points of controversy and introduces the reader to the major players in the medical and legal communities during this time. The bulk of the book is case studies of individuals whose crimes brought into play the issue of insanity. Finally, the author includes an overview of the various changes in the law and their impact on the criminal cases of those using the insanity plea.
I found the stories in this books fascinating. The thinking within the legal and medical communities during this time period was going through a lot of changes and the two sides often clashed in trying to achieve their goals. Public pressure also seemed to play a significant role in the outcome of some of the cases presented. In some cases, the outcome seems obvious until the nuance of the law is applied. Some attempts to improve the situation ended up only making things worse. I think anyone with an interest in legal history or the history of psychology will find this book really interesting as it gives insight to how the legal system got to where it is today.
I found the stories in this books fascinating. The thinking within the legal and medical communities during this time period was going through a lot of changes and the two sides often clashed in trying to achieve their goals. Public pressure also seemed to play a significant role in the outcome of some of the cases presented. In some cases, the outcome seems obvious until the nuance of the law is applied. Some attempts to improve the situation ended up only making things worse. I think anyone with an interest in legal history or the history of psychology will find this book really interesting as it gives insight to how the legal system got to where it is today.
January 6, 2018
Oh how this book reminds me of my Criminal Law class days! With terms like diminished responsibilitily, automatism, irresistable impulse, mens rea, etc, they sure brings back those good old days' memories.
This book about crimes in Victorian era depicts a Zeitgeist of an era in which when a crime was committed, was the accused "mad" or "bad"; and what should be the course of action for those deemed insane? This gave rise to the ongoing medico-legal debates, where the law saw the insanity plead as an easy escape from responsibility, whereas the alienists (medic) saw it as exoneration due to madness, which calls for treatment rather than punishment.
A so-so read as it is quite dry and monotonous. It reads like a textbook; there are glossary of terms, citations from cases, and some 25 case studies (brief information with key points) which helped shape today's insanity law.
This book about crimes in Victorian era depicts a Zeitgeist of an era in which when a crime was committed, was the accused "mad" or "bad"; and what should be the course of action for those deemed insane? This gave rise to the ongoing medico-legal debates, where the law saw the insanity plead as an easy escape from responsibility, whereas the alienists (medic) saw it as exoneration due to madness, which calls for treatment rather than punishment.
A so-so read as it is quite dry and monotonous. It reads like a textbook; there are glossary of terms, citations from cases, and some 25 case studies (brief information with key points) which helped shape today's insanity law.
October 30, 2017
The stories in this book are fascinating. Thinking within the legal and medical community at that time has been through multiple changes and entangles the parties clashing in trying to reach their goals. Public pressure also seems to play a significant role in the outcome of some of the cases presented. In some, the result seems obvious until the Law is enforced and some attempts to improve the situation have led to situation deterioration.
Anyone interested in legal history or the history of psychology will find Mad or Bad: Crime and Insanity in Victorian Britain really interesting because it gives an idea of how the legal system - especially in the UK - has been formed to this day.
Anyone interested in legal history or the history of psychology will find Mad or Bad: Crime and Insanity in Victorian Britain really interesting because it gives an idea of how the legal system - especially in the UK - has been formed to this day.
February 11, 2017
Book received from NetGalley.
An interesting book on how the insanity plea came to be a part of the judicial system in Britain. I enjoyed it especially the fight to be able to use the plea since so many people were afraid that murderers would walk free. The only issue I had was the amount of definitions and explanation of terms the book had. I understand it was needed but it was 20+ pages in a very short book. I would rather have had more case histories. I do recommend the book for historians and those who enjoy true crime I think both groups will enjoy it.
An interesting book on how the insanity plea came to be a part of the judicial system in Britain. I enjoyed it especially the fight to be able to use the plea since so many people were afraid that murderers would walk free. The only issue I had was the amount of definitions and explanation of terms the book had. I understand it was needed but it was 20+ pages in a very short book. I would rather have had more case histories. I do recommend the book for historians and those who enjoy true crime I think both groups will enjoy it.
November 26, 2018
The book describes the background of various institutions, how mental health has been veiwed and how patients were treated in the past though a number of different cases a number of cases. These cases are mostly based around acts of violence or cases of murder where the perpetrator has been found incapable of making a plea to the charges against them therefore they have been declared insane and sent to various institutions to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure.
The book was written in a clear and uncomplicated manner I enjoyed it till the last few chapters when I found it started to become repetitive. This is only my opinion and does not mean to say that somebody else would not find in it interesting and enjoyable read.
The book was written in a clear and uncomplicated manner I enjoyed it till the last few chapters when I found it started to become repetitive. This is only my opinion and does not mean to say that somebody else would not find in it interesting and enjoyable read.
February 5, 2017
I received this for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about cases of murder and crime in the 1800s. It revisits the court cases and accounts of alienists about the mad or bad.
I pushed myself to 57%, and I have decided I will torture myself no more. I was excited to read this for the crime aspect, but truly this is like reading reports from that time. It seems very dry and bland to me. There was a section of names and who those people were and a section of terminology. These sections were worthless to me because I could not remember any of the information when I was actually reading about the cases. Footnotes in this book are usually not on the page they are referenced to, and by the time I found them I had already forgotten what they were about. I just felt a little lost as I read this sometimes. This book is maybe for those just wanting the dry facts about crimes that went to court and if the person was judged as mad or bad.
I rated this 2/5 stars.
This book is about cases of murder and crime in the 1800s. It revisits the court cases and accounts of alienists about the mad or bad.
I pushed myself to 57%, and I have decided I will torture myself no more. I was excited to read this for the crime aspect, but truly this is like reading reports from that time. It seems very dry and bland to me. There was a section of names and who those people were and a section of terminology. These sections were worthless to me because I could not remember any of the information when I was actually reading about the cases. Footnotes in this book are usually not on the page they are referenced to, and by the time I found them I had already forgotten what they were about. I just felt a little lost as I read this sometimes. This book is maybe for those just wanting the dry facts about crimes that went to court and if the person was judged as mad or bad.
I rated this 2/5 stars.
March 24, 2017
A good book to gain an overview on a particularly complex and fascinating topic for those working in law and/or psychiatry. Thanks to Pen and Sword History for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book that I voluntarily review.
As a psychiatrist, and having worked in forensic psychiatry in the UK for a number of years, mad or bad is indeed one of the questions that we’re asked very often. (Of course, the two categories are not mutually exclusive, but in the eyes of the law there are certain prerequisites that need to be complied with to be able to apportion guilt). Therefore, I was very curious to read this book that dealt with the issue of insanity and criminal justice in the Victorian era.
The book is divided into five parts, discussing the main players in the debate, the conditions that were listed under the insanity label, the history of the debate, a part discussing ‘mad women, bad women’, and the last and longest part that discusses in more detail the case studies that caused the debates and the legal changes discussed in the book.
Personally, I was fascinated by reading details about the cases behind some of the defences and legal terms still in use today. Having an overall view of the period and what was behind the discussions illuminates and helps explain the legal changes, placing them at a historical and social moment in time. As a psychiatrist, I was particularly interested in the issues of diagnosis and the discussions as to the different categories used to classify disturbed mental states, including some that sound difficult to believe now (like the many ‘women’s conditions’ that justified all kinds of crimes). Although the details of some of the cases and the discussions might sound bizarre, the truth is that matters are not that clear even now, and even if the debates are framed differently, a decision is not always easy to reach.
The case stories are fascinating to read in their own right and cover the most famous and relevant cases of the era. They provide a great overview without going into excessive detail and would be a good starting point for people who want to delve deeper into the subject, whilst providing a general background to others who might be looking for orientation and general reading on the topic. The book is well organised, written clearly, and provides a good summary of the main issues whilst illustrating them well without excess detail or the use of unnecessarily complicated terms.
A good read for anybody interested in issues of criminal justice, insanity and law in Victorian England, particularly those that pertain to the treatment of women by the legal system of the time. A word of warning: the passing of time hasn’t made these cases less upsetting or shocking, so although the book doesn’t dwell unnecessarily on the gore details, you might find some of them hard to read.
As a psychiatrist, and having worked in forensic psychiatry in the UK for a number of years, mad or bad is indeed one of the questions that we’re asked very often. (Of course, the two categories are not mutually exclusive, but in the eyes of the law there are certain prerequisites that need to be complied with to be able to apportion guilt). Therefore, I was very curious to read this book that dealt with the issue of insanity and criminal justice in the Victorian era.
The book is divided into five parts, discussing the main players in the debate, the conditions that were listed under the insanity label, the history of the debate, a part discussing ‘mad women, bad women’, and the last and longest part that discusses in more detail the case studies that caused the debates and the legal changes discussed in the book.
Personally, I was fascinated by reading details about the cases behind some of the defences and legal terms still in use today. Having an overall view of the period and what was behind the discussions illuminates and helps explain the legal changes, placing them at a historical and social moment in time. As a psychiatrist, I was particularly interested in the issues of diagnosis and the discussions as to the different categories used to classify disturbed mental states, including some that sound difficult to believe now (like the many ‘women’s conditions’ that justified all kinds of crimes). Although the details of some of the cases and the discussions might sound bizarre, the truth is that matters are not that clear even now, and even if the debates are framed differently, a decision is not always easy to reach.
The case stories are fascinating to read in their own right and cover the most famous and relevant cases of the era. They provide a great overview without going into excessive detail and would be a good starting point for people who want to delve deeper into the subject, whilst providing a general background to others who might be looking for orientation and general reading on the topic. The book is well organised, written clearly, and provides a good summary of the main issues whilst illustrating them well without excess detail or the use of unnecessarily complicated terms.
A good read for anybody interested in issues of criminal justice, insanity and law in Victorian England, particularly those that pertain to the treatment of women by the legal system of the time. A word of warning: the passing of time hasn’t made these cases less upsetting or shocking, so although the book doesn’t dwell unnecessarily on the gore details, you might find some of them hard to read.
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