That's a good question: I've posted a link to an informative article at the end of my summary.
In roughly only 1% of cases within the US is the insanity plea used and only 26% percent of these are successful. This is quite a different statistic than what is portrayed in television and film.
The insanity plea is not linked to just a mental health issue as you may still be found guilty of a crime if you suffer from a mental health issue.
For the insanity plea to work - the perpetrator will undergo a professional assessment to determine whether the individual was aware of what they were doing.
"Psychiatrists or psychologists will take the witness stand in your court case. They will testify about your likely state of mind at the time of the offense."
There are a variety of methods courts use to determine insanity: these are from the article provided below:
"The M’Naghten Rule (sometimes called the right-wrong test): reviews mental defects that lead someone to believe in the rightness of their crime
The Irresistible Impulse Test: reviews someone’s awareness and willpower that led to the crime
The Model Penal Code Test (also called the substantial capacity test): reviews the person’s lack of ability to follow the law or see that a crime is wrong
The Durham Rule (only used in New Hampshire): reviews the mental defect (such as paranoia) that caused the criminal conduct"
That's a good question: I've posted a link to an informative article at the end of my summary.
In roughly only 1% of cases within the US is the insanity plea used and only 26% percent of these are successful. This is quite a different statistic than what is portrayed in television and film.
The insanity plea is not linked to just a mental health issue as you may still be found guilty of a crime if you suffer from a mental health issue.
For the insanity plea to work - the perpetrator will undergo a professional assessment to determine whether the individual was aware of what they were doing.
There are a variety of methods courts use to determine insanity: these are from the article provided below:
For more info see the article: