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Simple English definitions for legal terms
guilty but mentally ill
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A quick definition of guilty but mentally ill:
Guilty but mentally ill: A verdict in a criminal case where the jury decides that the defendant is guilty of the crime, but also recognizes that the defendant has a mental illness. This means that the defendant will receive psychiatric treatment while serving their sentence. The insanity defense is a legal argument that a person cannot be held responsible for a crime because of their mental illness. If successful, the defendant may be committed to a mental institution instead of being found guilty. The black-rage insanity defense is a specific type of insanity defense used by African-Americans who have committed a violent crime due to racial tensions.
A more thorough explanation:
Guilty but mentally ill is a verdict in a criminal case where the defendant is found guilty of the crime but is also recognized as mentally ill. This verdict is given when the jury rejects the defendant's insanity defense but still recommends psychiatric treatment for the defendant.
For example, if someone commits a crime but has a mental illness that contributed to their actions, they may be found guilty but mentally ill. This means they will still be punished for their crime, but they will also receive treatment for their mental illness.
Another example is the black-rage insanity defense, which is used when an African-American person's violent outburst is partly caused by racial tensions. This defense was first used in the mid-1990s.
These examples illustrate how the guilty but mentally ill verdict is used in criminal cases to recognize the defendant's mental illness while still holding them accountable for their actions.