The Trial Case Of Patrcia Hearst

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When we think of a person who is insane we label them as someone who is unreasonably foolish, and not in the right mind set to understand their own actions and decisons. This plays a big role in deciding the verdict and sentence during a trial case dealing with a victim who has a disorder or suffered traumatic abuse. In certain situtions the insanity defense is necessary to ensure that justice is served and the correct punishment is given. A famous trial that demonstrates this defense is the case of Patrcia Hearst, who robbed a bank in 1974.
Born in 1954 in Los Angeles, California, Patty Hearst is the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, founder of the Hearst media empire. On February 4, 1974, at age 19, Patty Hearst was kidnapped by …show more content…

Patricia They caught her at a particularly vulnerable and uneasy moment in her life. She had disaapointed and anegred her parents by moving in with her older boyfriend, but that relationship was deteriating and becoming toxic. Later she described herself as feeling suicidal she wanted to get out of the relationship, but she feared having to admit to her parents it was a failure. She was starting to have a political awakening of sorts. She was 19 and the SLA intruded into her life at a time when she was uniquely receptive to new influences. During a young age is where we grow the most as people and our outside ifluence play a huge role on the way we see the world. Also, this was during the 70’s, a time where outrageous behavior was occuring. Patricia went from an innocent young girl enrolled in Berkley to being forced to comply to the SLA’s rebelious behavior. Most say her conviction was fair because she came from wealth and seemed to be happily particpating in the crimes, showing no signs of remose. They believe it is unconvincing that she chnaged her standpoint as soon as trial begun and wanted to seem like she was not guilty. However it is hypoctrical to think that it was believable that she had joined the SLA in a mater of days, but not possible that she was actually a victim and was afraid to leave after finally being exposed to a realstic environment that she hadn’t been familiar with. The world was shocked when she had decided to conform with her abductors because they knew this wasn’t in her character. Now that trial had begun she was slowing stepping into a normal life and being told what she had done was wrong helping her realize the emotional abuse she had been surrounded by. Your enviroment and emotional mindset relates to how your brains works. I believe that Hearst was brainwashed and forced to believe that being in the SLA was the right thing to do. Even though she

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