Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity Evaluations (NGRI)
Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity Evaluations (NGRI)
In California, PC 25 sets the legal criteria for insanity and it is based on the M’Naghten Rule but the criteria were further clarified by Proposition 8 in 1982.
The burden of proof is on the defendant to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that they were legally insane at the time of the crime. If the defense cannot prove that the defendant was insane at the time of the crime, then they are presumed to be sane.
How We Can Help
For a defendant to be found not guilty by reason of insanity, the defense has to prove the following:
At the time of committing the offense, due to mental disease or defect (no personality disorders, seizure disorder, adjustment disorder, or substance-induced psychosis), the defendant was incapable of either…
- Knowing or understanding the nature and quality of his or her act.
- Distinguishing the difference between right and wrong.
Our in-depth assessment will help answer these questions in a comprehensive evaluation and report that can be submitted to the court.
What to Expect
Our NGRI evaluations typically involve:
- A clinical interview with the client and close members of their family. The interview will help us understand important psychological, medical, and social background information, and their current and past cognitive and psychological functioning.
- Consultation with the client’s attorney to determine the legal questions that need to be answered.
- A review of medical, psychological, and legal documents to help us have a better understanding of the client’s psychological, cognitive, and emotional functioning leading up to and during the alleged offense.
- Depending on the client’s history and requirements for the case, we will administer psychological and neuropsychological tests to objectively assess for mental health diagnoses and cognitive abilities. We will administer and interpret paper and computer-based tests to assess for:
- General intellectual abilities
- Higher level executive skills such as reasoning and problem solving
- Attention and concentration
- Language comprehension and communication
- Visual-spatial skills and perception
- Memory impairment
- Motor and sensory skills
- Mood and personality
- Psychological diagnoses
- After we complete the evaluation, we will write a comprehensive report that integrates our findings and give it to the client’s representative or attorney.
An NGRI evaluation will identify your client was insane at the time of the crime
Schedule your free 20 minute phone consultation today!
Contact Us
Phone: 818-253-1161
Email: hello@verdugopsych.com
Mailing Address: 466 Foothill Blvd. #205
La Canada, CA 91011
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