Guilty Except for Insanity

A new documentary film, which is on its way to being international viewed, began at Portland State in the fall of 2007 as a gender and madness class project. Written and directed by psychology professor Janice Haaken, Guilty Except for Insanity—Maddening Journeys through an American Asylum portrays human dilemmas behind public stereotypes for the criminally insane.

In order to gain community feedback before the final cut, an opinion screening for the film was held on June 27 at Whitsell Auditorium as part of the Northwest Film School’s Visiting Artists Program. According to Haaken, so many people attended the event that they were forced to turn away approximately 100 people. 

The film began as part of a group project that involved students taking an informal survey on responses to media coverage concerning the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, according to Haaken.

The project grew into a documentary that involved about 80 PSU students over the course of two years. Students worked as crew members, production assistants and gaffers. In addition, 12 students transcribed 70 interviews with the patients, Haaken said.

Most students on the crew were also part of ongoing research seminars. Though Haaken wrote the script, the students drew out key themes from 600 pages of transcripts, she said.

Jimena Alvardo, a PSU doctoral student in community psychology who has consistently worked on the film project since 2008, spoke of having conversations with patients that involved different perspectives rather than sensationalist fear messages often seen in the media.

“Giving people in the psychiatric system a real voice and showing their humanity lets us move away from the discrimination and stigma they face every day,” Alvardo said.

Alvardo attended a hearing where one of the five patients featured in the film, Brandy Adams, challenged her bipolar diagnosis.

“It seemed like such a perfect moment of validation, where she finally had a voice in the process,” Alavardo said.

Guilty Except for Insanity documents the lives of five patients at OSH, a hospital that has been notorious for its alleged patient abuse, according to the press release.

“The film in some ways addresses the ancient question of how to assign criminal blame,” Haaken said.

In order to emphasize the dilemmas encountered by those who successfully used the insanity defense, Haaken used animation sequences, as well as clips from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which was filmed at OSH in 1975. Though the insanity defense delivers defendants from criminal responsibility, it may result in longer confinement than if the patients had served a regular prison sentence, according to the press release. 

According to Haaken, part of the film’s intent is to open up viewers’ thoughts for alternatives to incarceration and forced confinement. 

Of the five patients in the film, one killed his father, three others attempted murder and one was charged with reckless endangerment with automobiles. Adams, Dave Olsen and Tamarra Thomas are Euro-American, while Tino Pascua is Latino and Nick York is of a mixed ethnic heritage. Others seen in the film in secondary roles are African American, Haaken said. The selection of interviewees roughly corresponds to the ethnic and gender demographics at OSH. 

The film also includes songs written and performed by patients and staff, photos and criminal and court records, according to the press release.

After completing the final changes to the film, the next step is to submit to film festivals and to television networks. Haaken expects Guilty Except for Insanity to be available online or in a DVD format within one year.

In the meantime, Haaken is working with community groups to organize screenings in educational settings, for educational conferences or for benefits.

PSU, the co-producer, holds the copyright and played a large role through legal council and resources, Haaken said. The film’s proceeds will go towards a fund—supervised by Haaken—which will be held for documentaries on community health, social and psychological problems.

Caleb Heymann, a filmmaker from Capetown, South Africa, edited the film alongside Carl Vandervoort.

For more information, visit www.guiltyexcept.com
 
Works by professor Janice Haaken
Haaken’s published books include:
–Hard Knocks: Domestic Violence and the Psychology of Storytelling
–Pillar of Salt: Gender, Memory, and the Perils of Looking Back
–Memory Matters: Contexts for Understanding Sexual Abuse Recollections