Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice
Abstract
The article critically examines the Andrea Yates trial, arguing that it highlights significant flaws in the legal system, media coverage, and societal attitudes toward mental illness and gender roles. The trial underscores the ambiguity in legal definitions of insanity, the unequal treatment of mothers who commit infanticide, and the problematic intersection of law and media, which can undermine justice and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. The case serves as a cautionary tale about the failure of the legal system to address mental health adequately and the media's role in sensationalizing tragedy for public consumption.
Disciplines
Criminal Law | Criminal Procedure | Law | Law and Gender | Psychiatry and Psychology
Recommended Citation
Marie Galanti,
The Andrea Yates Trial: What is Wrong with this Picture?,
9
Cardozo J. Equal Rts. & Soc. Just.
345
(2003).
Available at:
https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cardozoersj/vol9/iss2/11
Included in
Criminal Law Commons, Criminal Procedure Commons, Law and Gender Commons, Psychiatry and Psychology Commons