"To understand the insanity defense, it's necessary to understand 
that crimes generally have a mens rea, or mental state, element. This 
component requires that the perpetrator of the criminal activity 
commit the crime with a specific mental intent, such as knowingly 
committing a murder or recklessly killing someone with their car. For 
some crimes, a negligent mindset is also enough for a conviction.

If someone is considered "insane," they are unable to form this 
mental state because of their mental illness. As a result, the 
prosecution is not able to prove all the elements of the crime, and 
the defendant cannot be found guilty."

http://goo.gl/fkS0B (Findlaw)



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