criminal responsibility
Liability for wrongdoing
Criminal responsibility is the legal principle that a person can be held accountable for committing a crime.
It requires that the accused understood their actions and acted with intent or recklessness.
Defenses like insanity or diminished capacity argue the defendant lacked the mental state necessary for criminal responsibility: The court found he bore no criminal responsibility due to his psychotic episode.
- mens reaBlameworthy mental state
- guilty mindIntentional criminal awareness
- culpabilityDeserving blame for wrongdoing
- intentPlanned purpose
- forensic psychiatryMental health in courts
not guilty by reason of · moral agency · voluntariness · sound mind · free will · psychopathy · competency · stand trial · juvenile offender · evidence · beyond reasonable doubt · blameworthiness · judge · accountability · recklessness · autonomy · strict liability · impulse control
criminal responsibilitylegal excuse
Permitted reason to avoid blame
legal insanity · blamelessness · diminished capacity · exculpation · acquittal
criminal responsibilitydiminished capacity
Impaired mental functioning
insanity · mental incompetence · infancy · minority · non compos mentis