Question

What is the irresistible impulse test? How does it differ from the right–wrong test?

Answer 1

In criminal justice, irresistible impulse test is used by the defendants to prove that they had an irresistible impulse to do the act for which they are found guilty of, though they know that it was wrong at the time of doing it. This irresistible impulse is considered to be an effect or result of a mental disease.

Right and wrong test also known as McNaghten Rules is a test of sanity to prove that the defendants were not sane enough to understand and distinguish between right and wrong at the time of doing the act, while in irresistible impulse test, it is necessary for the defendant to know that an act is wrong but still not possess the ability to prevent himself from doing it. In both the tests, it is attempted to prove that the defendant did not have free choice thereby transferring the guilt to the mental disease of the defendant rather than to the defendant himself. Evolved due the shortcomings of McNaghten Rules, irresistible impulse test, in some states, is adopted as an appendage to the McNaghten Rules while in some others it is considered as a separate test.