Durham rule

Dur·ham rule

(dūr'ăm),

an American test of criminal responsibility (1954) under which an accused person (first applied to Monte Durham, the defendant in the case) is not held criminally responsible if the unlawful act was the product of mental disease or mental defect.

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A ruling by the US Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., in 1954 that held that 'an accused is not criminally responsible if his unlawful act was the product of mental disease or mental defect'. The Durham Rules has since been replaced by the American Law Institute Formulation

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Dur·ham rule

(dūr'ăm rūl)

A U.S. test of criminal responsibility (1954): "an accused is not criminally responsible if his unlawful act was the product of mental disease or mental defect."

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012