Legal Definition and Related Resources of Diminished Responsibility

A term used in criminal law to denote the mental derangement which is short of insanity on the part of the accused to show lack of deliberate or premeditated intent. See Slate v Franco, 347 P.2d312, 66 N.M. 289, 78 A.L.R.2d 908.

Browse or run a search for Diminished Responsibility in the American Encyclopedia of Law, the Asian Encyclopedia of Law, the European Encyclopedia of Law, the UK Encyclopedia of Law or the Latin American and Spanish Encyclopedia of Law.

Diminished Responsibility in Historical Law

You might be interested in the historical meaning of this term. Browse or search for Diminished Responsibility in Historical Law in the Encyclopedia of Law.

Search for legal acronyms and/or abbreviations containing Diminished Responsibility in the Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms Dictionary.

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Diminished responsibility in Law Enforcement

Main Entry: Law Enforcement in the Legal Dictionary. This section provides, in the context of Law Enforcement, a partial definition of diminished responsibility.

Resources

See Also

• Law Enforcement Officer
• Policeman
• Law Enforcement Agency

Further Reading

• diminished responsibility in A Dictionary of Law Enforcement (Oxford University Press)
• diminished responsibility in the Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement
• A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis

English Legal System: Diminished Responsibility

In the context of the English law, A Dictionary of Law provides the following legal concept of Diminished Responsibility : An abnormal state of mind that does not constitute *insanity but is a special defence to a charge of murder. The abnormality of mind (which need not be a brain disease) must substantially impair the mental responsibility of the accused for his acts, i.e. it must reduce his powers of control, judgment, or reasoning to a condition that would be considered abnormal by the ordinary man. It may be caused by disease, injury, or mental subnormality, and is liberally interpreted to cover such conditions as depression or *irresistible impulse. If the defendant proves the defence, he is convicted of *manslaughter.

See also battered spouse or cohabitant.