Mental State at the Time of the Offense (Insanity Defense)

Definition: Mental status at the time of the offense is a legal term for the insanity defense, colloquially known as the insanity defense.
Legal Question: It addresses whether the defendant's mental status at the precise moment of the offense created conditions that caused the crime to be committed.
Retrospective Nature: This is a retrospective referral question, meaning it focuses on the defendant's mental state at a prior time, specifically when the crime was committed, not their current mental state.
Legal vs. Psychological Concept: Insanity is exclusively a legal concept, not a psychological one.
- The term "insanity" is not found in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual), the authoritative text for mental health disorders recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.
- Distinction: Mental illness is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for legal insanity. They are distinct concepts.
Comparison to Competence: While competence refers to a defendant's present ability and focuses on the