Abstract
This paper looks at the social background surrounding the trial. It examines the court ruling and questions whether Andrea Yates was mentally incapable of understanding her actions or whether it was a cold blooded planned killing of her five children. The mental illnesses of depression and schizophrenia are discussed and it is described how Yates suffered from these in the past. This in an opinion paper where the writer feels that a wrong verdict was passed and mental illness was the cause of the killings.

From the Paper
"Recently, Andrea Yates was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. She could have been sentenced to death for her actions. Many in the public feel her husband, Russell Yates, was also guilty. Many feel he should have been able to foresee his wife's intentions to kill his children. Five children are dead, and we as a society need someone to blame. "

Tags:death, trial, children, andrea, yates, jury, verdict, depression, schizophrenia, mental, illness

Abstract
A look at the two trials of Andrea Yates, and why after being convicted of murdering her five children, the verdict was set aside and in a second trial she was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

From the Paper
The Andrea Yates Case Can any mother who deliberately drowns her children possibly be considered "sane"? Is there any criminal punishment or sentence that can possibly be fair? These are the questions raised in the case of Andrea Yates, a Texas mother who killed her five children. The trial of Andrea Yates for the 2001 murder of her five children in Houston, Texas, raised two highly charged issues: maternal infanticide and the insanity defense. The former issue raised questions about the possibility of maternal violence, while the latter pitted those who held law as timeless and universal against those who believed law was affected

Tags:insanity defense, andrea yates, texas law

Abstract
The paper provides analysis of the role of expert witness testimony in the second trial of Andrea Yates, where she was declared not guilty by reason of insanity. The paper outlines the first trial, and then delves more extensively into the second trial, touching on the trial's contributors but concentrating mainly on forensic expert Michael Welner. The paper discusses Welner's talking points, including his assertion that Andrea was overwhelmed at the burdens of running a household and home-schooling her children, and his interpretation of her lack of emotion at the time of arrest. Welner's testimony was ultimately unconvincing to the jury. Seeking to provoke disgust, he only provoked sympathy for a woman who was criticized by a husband who provided her little assistance in taking care of the house and her five children. The paper concludes that finding Yates not guilty by reason of insanity seemed logical, given the testimony of both the prosecution and the defense's experts, despite Welner's best efforts.

From the Paper
"State of mind is particularly important in Texas murder cases, as Texas law defines insanity as a state of mind, namely if the individual had the ability or the inability to know right from wrong at the moment of the action. "Both the defense and prosecution agreed Yates is mentally ill," but originally the prosecution convinced the jury that she was aware that what she was doing was wrong when she drowned the children (Yates' attorneys won't seek release, 2005, CNN.com). In such instances where mental state is an issue at trial, although Yates, like all American citizens possesses the right to be tried by a jury of her peers, invariably that jury is dependant upon deciding which expert witness appears the most credible, in testifying as to what the defendant's mental procedures were during the time the crime was committed. Expert credibility is equally, if not more important than the credibility of the witness."

Tags:infanticide, Texas, drown, insanity, trial

Abstract
This paper provides strong opinion for the death penalty for Andrea Yates. A detailed background to the trial is presented and discussed. The writer then lays out arguments from both sides of the spectrum - lawyers, journalists and public opinion, as to why the death penalty should or should not have been decreed. The writer then expresses his own personal opinion regarding the trial and the outcome.

From the Paper
"It was on June 20, 2001 that a mother named Andrea Yates killed her five children, which she confessed as an act of insanity. However, a panel of eight women and four men juts took half an hour to decide the fate of Andrea Yates. This was a Texas jury who secured the life of her, on purpose, 40 minutes before sentencing her to life in prison rather than giving her the death penalty (ABCNEWS.com).
However, according to the sentence life imprisonment, she has been made entitled for parole in 40 years. She beseeched not guilty by giving an excuse of insanity to two counts of capital murder in the deaths of her three children: namely; Noah who was seven years old, John, five years and Mary just six months old. However, she was not on trial for the drowning of her other two kids; Luke, three years old and Paul two years (ABCNEWS.com)."

Tags:legislation, suicide, depression, drowning, jury, post-partum, life

Abstract
This paper evaluates the case of Andrea Yates and whether it meets the standards of the insanity defense under Texas law. The paper theoretically applies the insanity defense to various standards.

From the Paper
"Under the current Texas law it is highly unlikely that Andrea Yates would meet the requirements for an insanity plea. The facts of the case show that Andrea Yates was mentally ill during the period of and leading up to her commission of the murders. It was also shown that the mental illness severely impaired her judgment and perceptions of reality. However Yates' state of mind during the commission of the crime still does not fall under the narrow parameters the ..."

Tags:Texas Insanity Defense, Andrea Yates, Mental Illness

Abstract
This paper examines the etiology of the Andrea Yates child killings (using rational choice theory), the ability of rational choice theory to predict and deter such activities, and what the criminal system should do with such a person. The paper also explores why Andrea Yates should not be let lightly off the hook for her actions. Furthermore, the paper explains why the aforementioned theory is the best one available with regards to explaining her behavior.

From the Paper
"The following paper will use Ronald Akers' Rational Choice theory to explain the actions of Andrea Yates, the Texas mother who drowned her five children five years ago. While Akers' theory at first appears to be incongruous with Yates' actions, a legitimate case can be made that she acted rationally and fully aware of what she was doing when she took the lives of her children. In any event, the paper will employ why the incident took place, how the Akers' theory of rational choice can be used to predict and prevent the likelihood of a similar crime occurring in the future, and it will offer suggestions on how the rational choice theory can be used to ensure a proper sentencing and treatment for this individual within the criminal justice system. "

Tags:andrea, yates, theory

Abstract
This paper discusses the insanity defense in American law. The paper explains that, in order to be morally culpable, a person must have awareness of the moral value of their actions. The paper then focuses on the case of Andrea Yates who killed all five of her children. It discusses her plea of insanity and describes how it was viewed and put into play during her trial.

From the Paper
"The issue of responsibility was a key issue in the first trial with her husband blaming the psychiatrists, and the psychiatrists blaming the husband. This blame game seemed to play into the hands of the insanity defense. The husband, Russell Yates, was told that if Andrea Yates had more children it would cause her to have a psychotic episode, but this warning was not followed and Andrea had another child, her fifth (8). But the husband claimed that the psychiatrists should have been better able to keep her condition from going out of control, and that they should have kept her on the medication that he thought would work."

Tags:psychiatrist, mental, illness, culpability, forensic

Abstract
The writer relates that Suzanne O'Malley's book about the woman who drowned all five of her children is chilling and fascinating reading. The writer discusses how, in attempting to get inside Yates's mind, O'Malley includes the opinions of forensic psychiatrist Phillip Resnick, who postulates about the concept of "rationality within irrationality."

From the Paper
"This paper is a review and discussion of Suzanne O'Malley's book "Are You There Alone: The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates". This tragic case brought the issue of postpartum depression and filicide to national attention and O'Malley's own curiosity about some the testimony offered during the case resulted in the original conviction being overturned. Ultimately, Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity, a verdict that was helped by the testimony of Phillip Resnick, a forensic psychiatrist with considerable experience in child murders by their parents."

Tags:Yates, O'Malley, Resnick

Abstract
This paper looks at the history of schizophrenia. The writer discusses its diagnosis and how it is portrayed in the media. The writer looks at how it is regarded by the law. This paper discusses the treatments used in schizophrenia. The writer also gives some examples of schizophrenics who have come to receive media attention, such as Andrea Yates.

From the Paper
"The disease called schizophrenia was first described by German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin. Schizophrenia is a common psychotic disorder which affects approximately one percent of the population which transcends economic status education level geographic location and family structure and functionality. There is no way to accurately predict who will become schizophrenic and the cause is largely unknown although there is almost certainly a genetic predisposition for the disorder. However the genetic component is not omnipotent because in identical twins one can be ... "

Tags:schizophrenia

Abstract
This paper demonstrates that the natural order of life is for a parent to protect the child and that abuse of the child, including murder, is a reflection of an unstable mind and a person who is unable to function effectively within the community. Along with the example of Medea, the author brings some modern day examples of women that have killed there children, such as Susan Smith and Andrea Yates.

From the Paper
"The killing of a child in real life has no symbolic meaning, no power other than that of an expression of evil and is, therefore, one of the worst acts a human, let alone a parent, can commit. In literature, however, the killing of children is symbolic of a diseased mind or of a diseased culture. Euripides' Medea kills her children, but she is a symbol of Mother Earth, of the Gods, and of nature all of which can exert, with no warning and no necessity of explanation, a death upon any or all of us. That which we are given can be taken away."

Tags:infanticide, Euripides, Freudian, maternal, psychological