Jekyll on Trial: Multiple Personality Disorder and Criminal Law

Jekyll on Trial examines the complex intersection of multiple personality disorder (MPD) and criminal law. Through analysis of legal cases and psychiatric research, law professor Elyn Saks explores how courts handle defendants who claim to have multiple personalities. The book presents key questions about criminal responsibility when different personalities within one person commit crimes. Saks analyzes specific MPD cases and examines how various legal systems have interpreted questions of guilt, innocence, and punishment for defendants with multiple personalities. Legal precedents and psychiatric evaluations form the foundation for discussing whether someone with MPD should be held accountable for actions committed by their alternate personalities. The text covers both historical cases and modern legal frameworks for handling these unique situations. At its core, this work challenges readers to consider fundamental questions about consciousness, identity, and moral responsibility within the context of both mental health and criminal justice. The intersection of psychiatry and law raises profound issues about how society defines guilt and autonomy.

Readers describe this as an academic examination of multiple personality disorder in criminal law through specific court cases and legal precedents. Positives: - Clear breakdown of complex legal concepts for non-lawyers - Thorough research and documentation - Balanced analysis of differing legal approaches - Practical policy recommendations Negatives: - Dense legal terminology and jargon - Some sections read like a law textbook - Limited discussion of psychiatric perspectives - Focuses mainly on US cases Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (12 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (5 reviews) One law student reviewer noted it was "invaluable for understanding the intersection of mental health and criminal responsibility." A mental health professional called it "heavy on legal theory but light on clinical realities." A legal scholar praised the "meticulous attention to case law details" while suggesting more coverage of international legal frameworks would improve the analysis.

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🔹 Author Elyn Saks has lived with schizophrenia herself and wrote about her experiences in her memoir "The Center Cannot Hold," providing her unique insight into mental health and the law. 🔹 The book examines several landmark court cases involving Multiple Personality Disorder (now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder), including the Billy Milligan case - the first person to successfully use this disorder as a criminal defense. 🔹 Multiple Personality Disorder was not officially recognized in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) until 1980, which complicated many earlier legal cases involving the condition. 🔹 The author is both a legal scholar and mental health expert, serving as a professor at USC Gould School of Law and holding faculty appointments in psychiatry at UC San Diego and USC's Keck School of Medicine. 🔹 The book explores complex questions about criminal responsibility, such as whether all personalities within a person should be held accountable for the actions of one, and if integration of personalities should be required before standing trial.