legal standards for insanity defense

The insanity defense is a legal standard used to argue that a person should not be held criminally responsible for their actions due to severe mental illness at the time of the offense. Generally, it requires demonstrating that the individual could not understand the wrongfulness of their actions or could not conform their behavior to the law due to mental impairment. Different jurisdictions may use various tests, such as the M'Naughten Rule or the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code test, which reflect these criteria. The burden of proof typically lies with the defense.