Susan Smith did not request a plead for NGRI, but her attorneys requested a psychological testing to prove that Mrs. Smith was not in her right state of mind at the time of the drowning of her sons, Michael and Alex, in 1994. Mrs. Smith’s psychological evaluation was performed by Dr. Seymour Halleck who diagnosed Mrs. Smith as having “dependent personality disorder” and as a person who "feels she can’t do things on her own." "She constantly needs affection and becomes terrified that she’ll be left alone." Halleck found that Susan was only depressed when she was alone. She almost always was in a normal mood when she was around people” (Pergament). After careful consideration upon motion by the defense, the judge allowed the jury to consider a lesser degree of involuntary manslaughter which can hold a sentence of three to ten years in prison. Instead, the jury deliberated and felt that Mrs. Smith “knew what she was doing when she released …show more content…
As sad as it is, it seems that race plays a role in whether or not an inmate receives mental health and treatment. Ac¬cording to 2006 data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “62 percent of white inmates, 55 percent of black inmates, and 46 percent of Hispanic in¬mates had suffered a mental health problem in the past.” “ Some have argued that behavior that actually reflects severe mental illness in minorities, particularly African Americans, are often ignored and considered to be criminal behavior rather than mental illness (Kutchins & Kirk, 1997:225), Consequently, “because African American behavior tends to be interpreted as criminal rather than of mental illness (Kutchins & Kirk, 1997; Thomas et al., 1999), there is likely to be less access to mental health treatment for African Americans, both in the community and within the criminal justice system.” (Thompson) It has been noted that “African Americans are less likely to receive psychiatric medication or counsel¬ing in prison compared to any other race.”