Noun
diminished responsibility (uncountable)
(law) A defense by which the defendant argues that, although they broke the law, they should not be held fully criminally liable, as their mental functions were impaired.
The trouble with ghostwriting is that it raises the issue of whether the president is in a state of diminished responsibility for what he says. Does he actually grasp the implications of the words he speaks? Jonathan Raban
Abbott admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the grounds that he did not intend to kill and had diminished responsibility on the basis of an abnormality of mental functioning. Source: Internet
However, this will normally only arise to negate the defence case when automatism or diminished responsibility is in issue. Source: Internet
Some offenders may be suffering from diminished responsibility due to a psychiatric or personality disorder. Source: Internet
Nithiyakumar has since pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter by diminished responsibility at the Old Bailey court in London, according to BBC. Source: Internet
It has been argued that any individual with DID is a single person with a serious mental illness and therefore exhibits diminished responsibility and this was first recognized in an American court in 1978 ( State v. Milligan ). Source: Internet