Criminal Lunatics Act 1800
The Criminal Lunatics Act 1800 (39 & 40 Geo 3 c 94) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain that required and established a set procedure for the indefinite detention of mentally ill offenders. It was passed through the House of Commons in direct reaction to the trial of James Hadfield, who attempted to assassinate King George III.
Read more about Criminal Lunatics Act 1800: Background, Trial of James Hadfield, The Act, Repeal
Famous quotes containing the words criminal, lunatics and/or act:
“The criminal is quite frequently not equal to his deed: he belittles and slanders it.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“The lunatics have taken charge of the asylum.”
—Richard Rowland. A Million and One Nights, vol. 2, ch. 79, Terry Ramsaye (1926)
“It is not enough to ask, ‘Will my act harm other people?’ Even if the answer is No, my act may still be wrong, because of its effects on other people. I should ask, ‘Will my act be one of a set of acts that will together harm other people?’ The answer may be Yes. And the harm to others may be great. If this is so, I may be acting very wrongly, like the Harmless Torturers.”
—Derek Parfit (b. 1943)