The unmotivated murders and the advent of modern crime-insanity debate

Abstract

This article aims to approach the role of the topic "unmotivated murders" in the constitution of the double movement of "criminalization of madness" and "pathologizing of crime", which appeared between the early and mid-nineteenth century: the "insanity-crime debate." This approach intends to clarify some of the most primitive bases of this "debate" over their developments more commonly tackled, as the morelian theory of degeneration and positivist criminology of Cesare Lombroso. This article also seeks to contextualize the emergence of this debate as a modern discussion, which arises out from the emergency of modern science, capitalism, and the notion of ‘authorship of the crime' in modern culture. At the last part of this text, it is pointed out the Lacanian alternative ahead of the crime-madness debate dead-locks: it is the bet, ethical and political at same time, in the "necessary reconciliation" between knowledge constructions and the Protection of rights perspective.