How should the law deal with a woman who killed her daughter with an axe while dreaming about being in the Korean war?
Law School professor Stephen Morse argues that legal responses to murder must take into account both responsibility for the crime and public safety.
In a lecture entitled "To Sleep, Perchance to Kill," Morse addressed the issue of when murderers should be held responsible for actions that occurred due to an altered state of consciousness.
Holding onto the attention of more than 100 attendees on Wednesday night, Morse relayed other stories of murderers who were sleepwalking, drunk or hallucinating as a result of psychological disorders.
He broached the question of how the law should deal with situations in which the responsibility of the murderer could be questionable.
Morse resolved that the proper course of legal action for crimes committed under altered states of consciousness should appeal to "the excuse theory."
Like those who qualify for the insanity defense, people who are sleepwalking or in another state in which they have no "introspective consciousness" are not always responsible for the crimes they commit.
This does not mean, he said, that they should not be detained to protect the public, however.
A suitable decision needs to "tease apart this question" of responsibility "from what we need to do for social" protection, Morse said.
Audience members seemed to enjoy the lecture. Many agreed with Morse's conclusion.
"I was interested in the idea of whether you are responsible for a crime you committed when not aware of it," said Philadelphia resident Ebony Collier, who heard about the event through the Kelly Writers House.
Second-year Law student Brandy Price found the topic similarly fascinating.
"It was great. I think we do need to make that differentiation ... between responsibility and public safety," Price said.
Morse's lecture was part of the Penn Humanities Forum on Sleep and Dreams. Each year the Forum chooses a theme that incorporates a multitude of academic disciplines.
The topic is explored in a series of lectures, research, and other activities.
This year's topic, "Sleep and Dreams," gave rise to nine lectures in total. The speakers have included other Penn professors, a Pulitzer Price-winning author, and the Senior Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art.
The lecture was held in the Law School's Pepper Hall.
