A subgroup of the mentally ill which has received much media attention is the criminally insane. However, little is known concerning the public's attitudes toward this subgroup. Using survey data from the Albany, N.Y. SMSA, the authors find that the core public perception of the criminally insane, compared to most people and to mental patients, is that they are unpredictable and dangerous. The public's perceptions appear to be heavily influenced by selective news reports which are limited to a small, atypical segment of cases involving psychiatric testimony for bizarre or mass murders and assassinations