Insanity is one of those words used today that gets thrown around a lot. Our society became so callous because we were calloused on a regular basis. Albert Einstein describes insanity as “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Albert Einstein may have been a genius, but in this case he is wrong. There are people in this world who are mentally crazy and can't help themselves. On rare occasions people like this become murderers. In the legal system we have a defense that an accused murderer can use to prove that he was not of sound mind when the act occurred. This is the insanity defense. This occurs in 1% of criminal trials in the United States (US). A perfect example of a case where the insanity defense was used was Andrea Yates v. State of Texas. Andrea Yates' life began completely normally. She graduated first in her high school class, became a registered nurse at Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, met the love of her life, and got married. His life seems as normal as anyone else's. Four months after giving birth to her fourth child, something changed. He made his first suicide attempt by swallowing 40-50 sleeping pills. She was admitted to a psychiatric facility and diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The doctor's attempt to cure her was unsuccessful. She was discharged due to insurance restrictions and according to Charles Patrick Ewing, a forensic psychologist and lawyer who wrote the book Insanity, Murder, Madness, and the Law "her family made a point of keeping a close eye on the patient." Several months after his hospitalization, his mental health worsened. She lost 30 pounds, had no energy, slept all day, and had no memory and concepts...half of paper...n from herself. This is not a luxury that prison does not offer. These people need to be punished for their crimes, but they also need to be helped. Works Cited Ewing, Charles Patrick. Madness: Murder, Madness and the Law / Charles Patrick Ewing. np: New York: Oxford University Press, 2008., 2008. OCC Library Catalogue. Network. February 10, 2014.Simon, Rita James. The jury and the insanity defense. Boston: Little Brown, 1967. Print. OCC Library Catalog. Network. February 10, 2014. Erickson, Patricia E. and Steven K. Erickson. Crime, Punishment, and Mental Illness: Law and Behavioral Science in Conflict / Patricia E. Erickson, Steven K. Erickson. np: New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, c2008., 2008. OCC Library Catalog. Network. February 10, 2014. Garner, Bryan A. Black's Legal Dictionary. 7th edition. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing, 2009. Print.