Isaac Ray

Isaac Ray (January 16, 1807 – March 31, 1881) was an American psychiatrist, known for being one of the founders of forensic psychiatry. Ray's 1838 work A Treatise on the Medical Jurisprudence of Insanity was a key text in developing a causational understanding and application of the insanity defense.

Impact and legacy The Treatise on the Medical Jurisprudence of Insanity was very influential and was deployed effectively by defense lawyer Sir Alexander Cockburn in the English trial of Daniel M'Naghten in 1843. At the trial, Cockburn quoted extensively from the book which rejected traditional views of the insanity defense based on the defendant's ability to distinguish "right from wrong" in favor of a broader approach based on causation.

In 1868, the Superintendents’ Association adopted his "Project of a Law," which recommended statutory enactment to secure the rights of the mentally ill and define the civil and criminal relationships of the insane.

In honor of him, the Isaac Ray Award was established in 1951. It is an annual award that recognizes a person who has made outstanding contributions to forensic psychiatry or psychiatric jurisprudence. Presented each year at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual meeting, it is a joint award of the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Consisting of a prize of 1,500 USD and a plaque, the first winner of the award was Winfred Overholser.