The Criminal Imbecile: An Analysis of Three Remarkable Murder Cases

Name: The Criminal Imbecile: An Analysis of Three Remarkable Murder Cases
Author: Henry Herbert Goddard

By Henry Herbert Goddard

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Law & Criminology Psychiatry/Psychology

About This Book

An analysis of three murder cases involving defendants judged mentally defective is presented through detailed case histories, courtroom testimony, and psychological testing. The author contrasts different clinical types—a high-grade, talkative defective acting alone; a high-grade, phlegmatic individual influenced by suggestion; and a lower-grade offender marked by crude brutality—and explains how Binet-Simon intelligence tests were admitted as evidence. Chapters examine distinctions between superficial moral knowledge and deeper moral appreciation, assess legal responsibility, and consider suitable responses and punishments, while appendices reproduce trial questions and records for further study.

About the Author

Henry Herbert Goddard

Henry Herbert Goddard was an American psychologist and eugenicist known for his pioneering work in the study of mental deficiency and its implications for society. His notable publications include "The Kallikak Family: A Study in the Heredity of Feeble-Mindedness," which examined the hereditary aspects of mental illness through a case study, and "The Criminal Imbecile: An Analysis of Three Remarkable Murder Cases," where he explored the intersection of criminal behavior and mental deficiency. Goddard's research contributed to the early 20th-century discourse on intelligence testing and the eugenics movement, influencing both psychological theory and public policy.