Insanity Defense - What Do You Need to Prove to Be Legally Insensible?

Merely being mentally ill is not enough. Only about one in 400 felony cases involve the successful insanity defense. The specific requirements vary by jurisdiction, but to over simplify it somewhat, to show that you did not know that society considers your actions wrong. As a result, only about one % of felony cases even involve an insanity plea and only about a quarter of those are successful. And what about berkwits case? His lawyers wanted him to try an in ity defence, but he didn't want to. He plead guilty to all the shootings, thus avoiding the need for a jury trial.