The M’Naghten Rule is a legal standard for determining criminal insanity in the United States and other countries. The rule was established by the landmark 1843 trial of Daniel M’Naghten, who attempted to assassinate one of the British Prime Ministers. The M’Naghten Rule is based on the 19th-century notion that a person should not be held accountable for their actions if they cannot distinguish right from wrong.
Under the current formulation of the M’NaghtenRule, an individual is considered legally insane if they were unable to understand the wrongfulness of their act at the time of the incident. If the individual was unable to appreciate the nature or character of the act, or knows the act to be wrong, he or she cannot be held responsible in a court of law.
Recent Applications of the M’Naghten Rule
In recent years, the M’Naghten Rule has been employed in several high profile cases. In 2018, the family of Michael Tyree, a mentally ill homeless man, cited the M’Naghten Rule in a civil lawsuit against the Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies accused of murdering him. A jury ultimately found the deputies were liable for his death under the M’Naghten Rule, which required providing sufficient evidence that the defendants knew they should not have resorted to lethal force.
In 2017, the M’Naghten Rule was used as the basis for a defense in a retrial of Brendan Dassey. Dassey, a 16-year-old with cognitive disabilities, was convicted of the killing of Teresa Halbach in 2005. The court found that Dassey had likely been coerced into providing false testimony by investigators, and thus he could not be held criminally liable due to the M’Naghten Rule.
Conclusion
The M’Naghten Rule is an important legal standard that has been used in cases of criminal insanity since the 19th century. It is an important component of the criminal justice system by providing the legal framework for determining responsibility in cases of mental illness or disability. Despite its age, the M’Naghten Rule has been successfully applied in recent court cases, ensuring individuals with mental illness are granted due legal process.