John Hinckley's trial ended in 1982 with a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. About a year earlier, Hinckley had shot Ronald Reagan because he was infatuated with the famous actress Jodie Foster. He thought that shooting Reagan would impress her and lead her to fall in love with him. After the verdict was announced, the public reacted with dismay as they felt Hinckley should pay for what he had done. Following the uproar, the United States revised and limited the insanity plea in the hopes that fewer people would use it or actually receive the verdict (Hans). During trial for any type of crime, the accused always has the option of pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. However, after pleading guilty, he must undergo extensive testing to determine whether or not insanity is actually present. Across the country, there are different views regarding the insanity advocacy. Some think the insanity plea should be restored to what it was before, while others think it works just fine now, and others think it should be abolished altogether. In his proposal "Severe Personality Disorder Defendants and the Insanity Plea in the United States", George Palermo, a forensic psychiatrist, presents his thesis that the insanity plea should return to its previous definition. People with personality disorders that could make them psychotic, even for a brief moment, could previously be found not guilty by reason of insanity, before the United States limited it to only people with mental illnesses. mental illness is a disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, which can prevent a person from determining whether an act is right or wrong. It is...... middle of paper ......ict." Public Opinion Quarterly 47 (1983): 202-212. Oxford Journals. Web. February 5, 2012.47/2/202.short>.Palermo, George B. Severe Personality Disorder Defendants and the Insanity Plea in the United States: A Proposal for Change in the Netherlands: Boom Legal Publishers, 5 February 2012. Phillips, Jean K. Gilles and Woodman, Rebecca E. The Insanity. of the Mens Rea model: due process and abolition of the insanity defense. 2007. Social Science Research Network (SSRN Web), February 7, 2012. Silver, Eric, Carmen Cirincione, and Henry J. Steadman "Demythologizing Inaccurate Perceptions of the Insanity Defense." Law and Human Behavior 18.1 (1994):63-70. SpringerLink. Web. January 30. 2012. .