Why Lindsay Clancy Never Walks Out Of That Courtroom

The Lindsay Clancy verdict has two possible outcomes, and neither one of them ends with her going home. Most people following this trial do not realize that.

A finding of lack of criminal responsibility in Massachusetts leads toward commitment in a state psychiatric hospital, with reviews to determine whether release is ever appropriate. A first-degree murder conviction carries mandatory life without parole, with no discretion left to the judge at all. One path is a locked hospital, the other is a locked prison, and the jury is choosing between them based on what it concludes about a...