State v. Dodd

Hale, J. —

Perhaps one who prefers confinement in an institution for the criminally insane to imprisonment in a regular penitentiary really is deranged. But t'he law makes no such assumption and vests in each trial judge a wide discretion in judging the mental competency of every defendant to stand trial or plead guilty. The trial judge may make his determination from many things, including the defendant’s appearance, demeanor, conduct, personal and family history, past behavior, medical and psychiatric reports and the statements of counsel.

Here the trial judge made such an evaluation, found…