Introduction
On June 20, 2001 Andrea Yates drowned her five children in a bathtub. She confessed to the crimes, but pleaded not guilty because she was insane when the murders took place. Although both prosecution and defense witnesses asserted that Andrea was psychotic, the law in Texas requires the defense to prove that the defendant was not only insane, but could not discern right from wrong when the crime took place (Resnick, 2007). The trial of Andrea Yates raises several questions about her husband’s responsibility, impact of social isolation and available community support for the family. These questions form the ...