irresistible impulse

irresistible impulse
ir·re·sis·ti·ble im·pulse /ˌir-rə-'zis-tə-bəl-/ n: an overpowering impulse produced by mental disease or defect that leads to the commission of a criminal act (as murder)

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. . 1996.

irresistible impulse
index compulsion (obsession), obsession

Burton's Legal Thesaurus. . 2006


irresistible impulse
A test applied in a criminal prosecution to determine whether a person accused of a crime was compelled by a mental disease to commit it and therefore cannot be held criminally responsible for her or his actions; in a wrongful death case, a compulsion to commit suicide created by the defendant.

Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.


irresistible impulse
A test applied in a criminal prosecution to determine whether a person accused of a crime was compelled by a mental disease to commit it and therefore cannot be held criminally responsible for her or his actions; in a wrongful death case, a compulsion to commit suicide created by the defendant.

Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.

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  • Irresistible impulse — In criminal law, irresistible impulse is a defense by excuse, in this case some sort of insanity, in which the defendant argues that they should not be held criminally liable for their actions that broke the law, because they could not control… …   Wikipedia

  • irresistible impulse — As used as insanity defense, an irresistible impulse means an impulse to commit an unlawful or criminal act which cannot be resisted or overcome because mental disease has destroyed the freedom of will, the power of self control, and the choice… …   Black's law dictionary

  • irresistible impulse — As used as insanity defense, an irresistible impulse means an impulse to commit an unlawful or criminal act which cannot be resisted or overcome because mental disease has destroyed the freedom of will, the power of self control, and the choice… …   Black's law dictionary

  • irresistible impulse — an impulse to commit a criminal act that cannot be resisted because mental disease has destroyed the person s freedom of will and power to choose between right and wrong. The “irresistible impulse test” that a person is not criminally… …   Medical dictionary

  • irresistible impulse — A form of insanity, frequently termed impulsive insanity, by which a person is irresistibly impelled to the commission of an act, for example, the killing of a person. 29 Am J Rev ed Ins Per § 3. A product of mental insanity, as distinguished… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • irresistible impulse test — n: a test used in some jurisdictions when considering an insanity defense that involves a determination of whether an impulse to commit a criminal act was irresistible due to mental disease or defect regardless of whether the defendant knew right …   Law dictionary

  • irresistible impulse — noun an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid he felt a compulsion to babble on about the accident • Syn: ↑compulsion • Derivationally related forms: ↑compulsive (for: ↑compulsion) …   Useful english dictionary

  • irresistible impulse test — see under impulse …   Medical dictionary

  • irresistible impulse — overpowering urge, irrepressible drive, powerful instinct …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Impulse (disambiguation) — Impulse, in mechanics, is something that changes the momentum of an object.Impulse may also mean:In psychology*Impulse (psychology), a wish or urge, particularly a sudden one.In law* Irresistible impulse, a defense by excuse in which the… …   Wikipedia

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