Pleading For Insanity In Harris
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Each state's definition of insanity has similar core elements: the presence of a mental disease or defect, and a) the inability to control their actions as a result of that defect, and/or b) the inability to differentiate right from wrong as a result of that act.
The four prominent insanity standards– the M'Naghten Rule, the Irresistible Impulse (II) Test, the Durham Rule, and the Model Penal Code– vary from state to state depending on a state's criminal laws and respective criminal justice system 3.
To be successful, the defendant must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, two things: They were suffering from a severe mental disease or defect and; as a result of that mental illness, they did not know that their conduct at the time of the crime was wrong.
The critical distinctions are that diminished capacity is a partial, negating defense (negates an element of the state's case) with the burden on the state to show that the defendant acted with the requisite state of mind while insanity is a complete but affirmative defense—the defendant bearing the burden of proving ...
Therefore, diminished capacity acknowledges that the defendant may have had some mental impairment but does not necessarily claim a lack of criminal responsibility, as is the case with the insanity defense.
A conviction for manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility necessarily means that the offender's ability to understand the nature of the conduct, form a rational judgment and/or exercise self-control was substantially impaired.
And the most commonly used instruments in forensic assessment are the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) for personality assessment and the Wechsler scales for intellectual measurement.
In Texas, the insanity defense is governed by the Texas Penal Code §8.01, which states that “it is an affirmative defense to prosecution that, at the time of the conduct charged, the actor, as a result of severe mental disease or defect, did not know that his conduct was wrong.” This definition highlights two essential ...
It is based on the assumption that at the time of the crime, the defendant was suffering from severe mental illness and therefore, was incapable of appreciating the nature of the crime and differentiating right from wrong behavior, hence making them not legally accountable for crime.
