What is an insanity defense in criminal defense law?

An insanity defense in criminal defense law is a legal defense that is used to prove that the accused was unable to understand the wrongfulness of their actions when they committed a crime. In North Carolina, this defense is covered under North Carolina General Statute § 15A-1330. It states that a person cannot be found guilty of a crime if they were "laboring under such a defect of reason from disease of the mind as not to know the nature and quality of the act they are doing; or if they did know it, that they did not know what they were doing was wrong." This means that if an individual can prove that they did not understand that what they did was wrong, then they should not be found guilty of the crime. However, it is important to note that insanity defenses are very difficult to prove in a court of law and are only successful in a very small percentage of cases.

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