M Naughten Test For Murder Essay

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There are three tests that are used in criminal justice to decide if a defendant was suffering insanity at the time of a murder. Each test includes of many essentials to govern what an offender may have been going through or if he or she is suffering from mental illness. On the other hand, some offenders may have been suffering from an injury while another might be playing the role in an effort to be set free by a motive of pretending to be insane.

It has been documented that some wrongdoers who commit crimes are blind-sided because of the lack of knowledge due to insanity. That does not mean that this person is not going to receive some type of repercussion for his or her actions, but there are a series of tests that must take place before a determination can …show more content…

Daniel McNaghten murdered the British minister, but he killed the secretary by mistake. Was McNaughten responsible for his actions due to the fact that he thought he took the life of the wrong person? The M’Naughten rule has multiple elements that the law enforcement officials to test if someone was insane prior to a murder. The part of the test determines if the felon recalls what he or she was doing at the time when the killing took place. Next, there might be a possibility that the defendant was ill to an extent where it caused problems completely in his or her mind. There are sicknesses and diseases that can alter one’s mind. The last element defines if the defendant is aware that a crime had been committed, the description of the corruption, and if this event was even immoral (Hall, 2015). As stated by Hall (2016) “A person is not responsible for criminal conduct if at the time of such conduct as a result of mental disease or defect he lacks substantial capacity either to appreciate the criminality [wrongfulness] of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the