Topic > Pros and Cons of Jeffrey Dahmer's Insanity Plea

The M'Naghten Rule required anyone claiming to be insane to undergo an insanity test, or the right-wrong test, in which they had to prove at the time of the crime that they didn't know what they were doing was wrong. Using this test the jury had to answer two questions. One, the defendant knew at the time of the crime what he was doing was wrong, or two, the defendant knew what he was doing was wrong (Kollins). The M'Naghten Rule was a huge step forward in helping with insanity declaration. It also helped facilitate its use because people had to start proving themselves more in court. Having to prove their worth in court makes it more difficult to allow them to walk away from the crime they committed. In the years since, many rules have been created. One of the most recent is the Federal Rule. Ronald Reagan played a major role in passing this law. This rule provides that the accused is required to prove, "by clear and convincing evidence" that "at the time of the commission of the acts constituting the crime, the accused, due to a serious mental disease or defect, was not in able to appreciate the nature and quality or illegitimacy of his acts