Perceptions of the Criminally Insane in the Era of Social Media and Misinformation

• In Event: Lightning Talk: Perceptions, Knowledge, and Attitudes Towards Criminal Justice Issues

Abstract

Cocozza and Steadman first asked the general public about their perception of the criminally insane in 1975. Fifty years later, this study examines potential changes in those perceptions. It also examines the effect of the changes in how we receive information about crime and issues of misinformation related to crime and criminal insanity on the public's perception of criminal insanity and the insanity defense.

Author

• Amy Poland, St. Joseph's University-New York