Shaniyah Goodman 
8406331@student.cms.k12.nc.us 

19 December 2019 

Senior Project Judge Members 

Garinger High School 
1100 Eastway Drive 
Charlotte, NC 28205 

Dear Judges,

My name is Shaniyah Goodman and my topic is on Why The Insanity Defense Is Rarely Used.
Based on my topic I hope you look at the insanity defense from a different point of view. The
insanity defense is rarely used because it is impractical in a court of law, because it is hard to
discern whether or not someone is clinically insane, and because some states do not have an
exact stance on this defense. While definitions of the term “insanity” are evolving to better suit
the court of law, it is only bringing about harder case trials.

Something that I’ve learned throughout my research is that in most states courts the defendants
don't have to have evidence they just have to convince a jury otherwise. While the federal U.S.
government doesn't have a law that applies to the insanity defense, most states do. While most
states have some type of laws that would apply to the insanity defense, one state’s law on the
insanity plea may be drastically different than another.

By challenging myself with this topic took a lot of late nights and not so early mornings. This
topic has helped me see things in most court systems a naked eye can not see, this can also help
me once I am in college studying law. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,  

Shaniyah Goodman