The decision by Mangione’s lawyers to pursue a psychiatric defence in his state murder trial sends a shiver down the spine of every fiscal conservative. It is a gamble that could unravel the very fabric of personal responsibility upon which our justice system is built. British legal observers are watching closely, for if this ‘insanity’ plea succeeds, it may open the floodgates to a wave of costly, taxpayer-funded appeals and diminished deterrent effect.
The City of London understands risk. This is a bet on moral hazard. The defence will argue diminished capacity, but the market for justice demands a clear signal: crime carries consequences.
Let us hope the jury sees through this attempt to hedge accountability with a psychiatric get-out clause. The bottom line is this: if madness becomes a defence of choice, the price is paid in eroded public trust and swollen legal costs.
