Diminished responsibility  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search  In criminal law, diminished
responsibility (or diminished capacity) is a potential defense
by excuse by which defendants argue that although they broke the
law, they should not be held fully criminally liable for doing
so, as their mental functions were "diminished" or impaired. The
defense's acceptance in American jurisdictions varies
considerably. The majority of states have adopted it by statute
or case decision, and a minority even recognise broader defenses
such as 'irresistible impulse'. Some American states restrict
the defense to the charge of murder only where a successful
defense will result in a manslaughter conviction instead of
murder. Until recently, the Republic of Ireland did not accept
the partial defense. The Irish Supreme Court had rejected the
existence of the defense in DPP v O'Mahony.[1] The case was
recently abrogated, however, by enactment of the Criminal Law
(Insanity) Act 2006, effective Jun