What are the possible outcomes for a plea of insanity?

Asked by: Bryce Kihn  |  Last update: July 8, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (59 votes)

The possible outcomes of a successful insanity defense include a verdict of 'Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity' (NGRI) or 'Guilty but Mentally Ill' (GBMI). In the case of NGRI, the defendant is typically committed to a mental health facility for treatment.

What are the consequences of pleading insanity?

After a defendant makes this plea, he/she is usually sent to a state mental health facility, a county mental health evaluation and treatment facility or another mental health facility for up to 30 days. Upon arrival, experts will examine the defendant to see if he/she is truly insane.

What is the success rate of the insanity plea?

In fact, less than 1% of defendants in criminal cases plead insanity as their defense in the United States, and only about . 26% of those who plead insanity are successful in their plea, according to the same source. Each year, only about 30 defendants in America succeed with their insanity plea.

Does the insanity plea usually work?

The Insanity Defense in Practice

In felony cases, the defense is invoked less than 1% of the time, and even when it is employed, it is only successful 25% of the time.

Who has won an insanity plea?

A
  • Michael Abram.
  • Adélio Bispo de Oliveira.
  • Edward Charles Allaway.
  • Marcelo Costa de Andrade.
  • Iván Arancibia.
  • Jeffrey Arenburg.
  • Alexander Astashev.

Insanity plea

26 related questions found

How do you prove insanity plea?

The federal insanity defense now requires the defendant to prove, by "clear and convincing evidence," that "at the time of the commission of the acts constituting the offense, the defendant, as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of his acts ...

What are the four types of insanity?

Different states have adopted different standards to determine whether an accused person is legally insane. These include (1) the M'Naghten Rule; (2) the "Irresistible Impulse" test; (3) the "Durham Rule"; and (4) the "Model Penal Code" test.

What is the burden of proof for the insanity defense?

A defendant may constitutionally be required to prove his/her insanity by a standard as high as beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. at 799. It therefore follows that placing the burden on the defendant to prove the defense of insanity by clear and convincing evidence is constitutional.

What happens if someone is found not guilty by reason of insanity?

After completion of a psychological evaluation, the court makes a decision about the beneficiary's sanity. An insanity judgment results in a verdict of "not guilty." If the beneficiary's insanity condition continues, it may result in commitment to a mental facility for the criminally insane or to a mental hospital.

Can insanity terminate an offer?

The contractual assent deemed necessary is actual mental assent. Such being the case, then, if at any time the offeror no longer assents to the offer or is unable to do so because of his death or, as we shall see later, his insanity, the offer lapses or dies with him.

What mental illnesses qualify for insanity plea?

Most courts have held that diagnoses such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder qualify as a mental disease for the purpose of insanity. Diagnoses such as personality disorders, paraphilias, and voluntary substance intoxication do not usually qualify.

What is the most common perhaps the most serious objection to the insanity plea?

The most common objection to the insanity plea is that it prevents the punishment of people with mental disorders. Many people argue that the insanity defense is used too often and that it allows dangerous individuals to avoid punishment for their crimes.

How to prove mental illness in court?

To do this, you must see a licensed psychiatrist or mental health expert to conduct tests and evaluations. Their findings will be presented in court along with all of your medical records. Any documents that show you have undergone treatment like therapy or medications for a mental illness will help your case.

How many people get away with pleading insanity?

TV shows and movies portray defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity. In the criminal justice system, defendants are rarely successful with the insanity plea. According to one study, the insanity defense is only used in about 1% of all court cases. It is only successful in about 26% of those cases.

Can you get the death penalty if you plead insanity?

The American Bar Association passed Resolution 122A, exempting those with severe mental illness from the death penalty, on August 8, 2006. An almost identical resolution has been endorsed by the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

What are the pros and cons of the insanity defense?

Societal And Legal Pros & Cons Of The Insanity Defense
  • History of the insanity defense. The insanity defense in criminal cases goes back to the mid-19th century in Great Britain. ...
  • Pro: It creates a middle ground. ...
  • Con: The plea can be abused. ...
  • Pro: It establishes guilt. ...
  • Con: The jury may be pushed beyond its competence.

Does pleading insanity reduce your sentences?

So, while pleading insane may possibly help you with an acquittal of your charges, that does not mean you will not be sentenced to long-term in-patient treatment. This is, compared to if you did not plead insanity and were convicted of a crime.

How often is the insanity defense successful?

In reality, however, various criminal studies have established that only about one percent of all felony cases in the United States involve use of the insanity defense. Moreover, even when the defense is asserted, it is successful in only about 30 cases every year.

Why is the insanity defense so hard to prove?

The insanity defense looks to the defendant's mental state at the time the crime was committed, not at the time of the trial. The bar for this defense is very difficult to meet, as many conditions must be met to put on a successful insanity defense. The defense has the burden of proving insanity.

What happens if you are found guilty but insane?

A defendant who is found guilty but mentally ill may be sentenced to mental health treatment, at the conclusion of which the defendant will serve the remainder of their sentence in the same manner as any other defendant.

What is the test for the insanity plea?

Preponderance of the evidence” standard for the insanity defense. The defendant who pleads the insanity defense is required to prove that s/he was insane when the crime was committed by a “preponderance of the evidence. ”This means that s/he has to show that it is more likely than not that s/he was insane.

What is innocent by reason of insanity?

“Not guilty by reason of insanity” is a plea entered by a defendant in a criminal trial , where the defendant claims that they were so mentally disturbed or incapacitated at the time of the offense that they did not have the required intention to commit the crime, and are therefore not guilty.

What mental illness is associated with insanity?

People affected by psychosis can experience delusions, hallucinations and confused thinking. Psychosis can occur in a number of mental illnesses, including drug-induced psychosis, schizophrenia and mood disorders.

What famous cases were found not guilty by reason of insanity?

The Hinkley-Reagan case

In 1982, John Hinkley was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. The verdict was greeted with outrage and calls for radical reform of the criminal justice system.

What are the 4 stages of insanity?

The four stages are: 1) The hurt-and-be-hurt state of being, 2) The self-induced psychedelic experience, 3) The confusion-and-dread reaction, and 4) The reconstruction-with-insight world view.