Insanity Test

The M’Naughten test is used in Minnesota. This rule is used in the majority of the United States. It was named after the case of Daniel M’Naughten in 1843 in Great Britain. He was a Scottish woodcutter who killed the secretary to the prime minister in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the prime minister. M’Naughten seemingly believed that the prime minister was the reason behind all his personal and financial misfortunes. During his trial, several witnesses testified that he was insane, to which the jury cleared M’Naughten, finding him “not guilty by reason of insanity.” Queen Victoria did not like this outcome, so she appealed to the House of Lords to review the ruling with a panel of judges. The judges annulled the jury decision, and the method that resulted from their review became the foundation of the law regulating legal responsibility in cases of insanity in England: “that a defendant should not be held responsible for his actions if he could not tell that his actions were wrong at the time he committed them.”(PBS) The M’Naughten was later used by American courts and legislatures as well.

The verdict Minnesota hands down if the offender meets the requirements of the insanity test is “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity.” As far as punishment, the defendant is generally placed in a psychiatric hospital.

From Daniel M'Naughten to John Hinckley: A Brief History of the Insanity Defense . (2005). Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/crime/trial/history.html#mn

Siegel, L. J. (2008). Various Insanity Defense Standards. In Introduction to Criminal Justice (Twelfth ed. , ). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth .