diminished responsibility

diminished responsibility
in criminal law an aberration of mind, close to but not actually amounting to insanity, that is caused by mental illness. The defence in Scotland applies only to murder and attempted murder. It is construed a little wider in England where it extends to cover depression or irresistible impulse. In England, the reduced crime is manslaughter and in Scotland culpable homicide (See homicide).

Collins dictionary of law. . 2001.

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  • diminished responsibility — noun Limitation in law of criminal responsibility on the grounds of mental weakness or abnormality, not merely of actual insanity • • • Main Entry: ↑diminish * * * diminished responsibility UK US noun [uncountable] legal a situation in which… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Diminished responsibility — For other types of responsibility, see Responsibility (disambiguation). Criminal defenses …   Wikipedia

  • diminished responsibility — or diminished capacity In law, doctrine that absolves an accused person of part of the liability for his criminal act if he suffers from such abnormality of mind as to substantially impair his responsibility in committing or being a party to an… …   Universalium

  • diminished responsibility — N UNCOUNT In law, diminished responsibility is a defence which states that someone is not mentally well enough to be totally responsible for their crime. Borland was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished… …   English dictionary

  • Diminished responsibility in English law — For the law in other criminal jurisdictions, see diminished responsibility. In English law, diminished responsibility is one of the partial defences that reduce the offence from murder to manslaughter if successful (termed voluntary manslaughter… …   Wikipedia

  • diminished responsibility doctrine — /daminasht rasponsabilatiy doktran/ Term used to refer to lack of capacity to achieve state of mind requisite for commission of crime. McGuire v. Superior Court for Los Angeles County, 274 Cal.App. 583, 79 Cal.Rptr. 155, 161. The concept of… …   Black's law dictionary

  • diminished responsibility doctrine — /daminasht rasponsabilatiy doktran/ Term used to refer to lack of capacity to achieve state of mind requisite for commission of crime. McGuire v. Superior Court for Los Angeles County, 274 Cal.App. 583, 79 Cal.Rptr. 155, 161. The concept of… …   Black's law dictionary

  • diminished responsibility —    a suggestion of temporary insanity    A defence seized on by lawyers when the accused has no other:     P , 23, of Newcastle upon Tyne, denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibilty. (Daily… …   How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

  • diminished responsibility — limited responsibility, partial legal liability, legal liability with stipulations …   English contemporary dictionary

  • diminished responsibility — /dəˌmɪnɪʃt rəspɒnsəˈbɪləti/ (say duh.minisht ruhsponsuh biluhtee) noun limitation of a person s criminal responsibility in killing or being a party to the killing of another on the ground of mental weakness or abnormality; not available as a… …  

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