Professional statute overview
Enactment structure, operative effect and source provenance
01
Purpose and legislative effect
“A defendant is not criminally responsible by reason of insanity if, because of a mental disease or defect, the defendant lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of the conduct.”
Use this record to locate individual provisions, understand the instrument’s recorded structure, and move from a research summary to the exact source text.
02
How the instrument operates
- 01
Start with the recorded version
Enacted 1981 · Source version 1 Oct 2025. The date shown identifies this source expression and should not be treated as proof that no later change exists.
- 02
Locate the controlling provision
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- 03
Read conditions and exceptions together
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- 04
Verify currency and official wording
Confirm later legislation, commencement notices and corrections with the official publisher before advice, filing or reliance.
03
Research entry points
Selected provisions across the instrument. Open any row to continue with the exact stored text.
A defendant is not criminally responsible by reason of insanity if, because of a mental disease or defect, the defendant lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of the conduct.
Section 39
04
Source and current-law status
Source record view
Source record from legislature.maine.gov · Enacted 1981 · Source version 1 Oct 2025
The source record does not state a definitive current-law status. Check the official publisher and later amendments before relying on this text.