‘Moral Evil, Mental Illness, and Criminal Responsibility’
Against the backdrop of the Lindsay Clancy murder trial that has gripped the nation and sparked passionate debate, Boston College will host a panel discussion on September 29 to examine some of the most compelling aspects of the case.
M. Cathleen Kaveny, Darald and Juliet Libby Millennium Professor, will serve as moderator for the event, “Moral Evil, Mental Illness, and Criminal Responsibility: Questions Raised by the Lindsay Clancy Case,” which takes place 4:30-6:30 p.m. in Devlin 008.
Kaveny—who has appointments in the Theology Department and BC Law School—will be joined by Connell School of Nursing Professor Ann Wolbert Burgess, an internationally recognized pioneer in the assessment and treatment of victims of trauma and abuse, and BC Law Professor and Sullivan Family Faculty Fellow R. Michael Cassidy, an expert on prosecutorial ethics who concentrates on criminal law, evidence, and professional responsibility.
Boston College participants (l-r): M. Cathleen Kaveny, Ann Burgess, R. Michael Cassidy
Other panelists are Robin Darling Young, the Ordinary Professor of Church History Emerita at The Catholic University of America, and Meg Kaveny, a licensed clinical social worker based in Portland, Ore., who collaborates with the Portland Police Bureau’s Behavioral Health Response Team, which pairs police officers with master’s-level clinicians.
Clancy was charged with murdering her three young children at her Duxbury, Mass., home in January of 2023. Prosecutors and Clancy’s defense both agreed that she had fatally strangled the children, then cut her wrists and neck and leaped out of a window in an apparent suicide attempt. Clancy pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder.
But the defense argued Clancy should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, and her supporters claimed she was victimized by a health care system that often overlooks maternal mental health.
After five grueling weeks of testimony and seven days of deliberations by a jury that ultimately remained deadlocked—the result of a lone juror among the panel’s nine women and three men resisting a unanimous verdict—the presiding judge declared a mistrial on September 4.
At press time, it was unclear what the next step in the case would be. A hearing is scheduled on September 29—the day of the BC event—at which the defense will likely ask the judge to dismiss it, and prosecutors will tell the court if they plan to re-try the case or if they have reached a plea deal.
“This tragic case raises broader questions of law, mental health, justice, and responsibility,” said Cathleen Kaveny, who focuses on the relationship of law, religion, and morality. “I hope this discussion will help people think more clearly about these questions, as well as about the strengths and weaknesses of our legal and medical institutions when it comes to individuals with severe mental illness.”
Burgess will address the intersection between trauma, illness—including postpartum psychosis—and criminal behavior and also discuss the rights of victims, including children. Cassidy will clarify the nature and limitations of Massachusetts laws and practices at the margin of criminality and mental illness.
Young will discuss the changing relationship of evil and sickness in Western Civilization cultures as it transitioned from demons to mental illness, and Meg Kaveny will offer her views on the challenges for law enforcement in responding to persons with mental illness.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the BC Law School, the Connell School, and the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. To attend, register here.