In the sixteenth century, however, the jury gained the power to enter a
             “Special Verdict” if they felt the case warranted. By the seventeenth century, the insanity
             defense was firmly in place, thus this plea was commonly accepted. The insanity defense reflects
             a compromise on the part of society and the law. On the one hand, society believes that criminals
             should be punished for their crimes; on the other hand, society believes that people who are ill
             should recieve treatment for their illness. The insanity defense is the compromise: Basically, it
             reflects society’s belief that the law should not punish defendants who are mentally incapable of
             controlling their conduct. In the eighteenth century, the legal standards for the insanity defense
             ...