Legal Definitions - guilty but mentally ill

Guilty but mentally ill is a verdict in a criminal case where the defendant is found guilty of the crime but is also recognized as mentally ill. This verdict is given when the jury rejects the defendant's insanity defense but still recommends psychiatric treatment for the defendant.

For example, if someone commits a crime but has a mental illness that contributed to their actions, they may be found guilty but mentally ill. This means they will still be punished for their crime, but they will also receive treatment for their mental illness.

Another example is the black-rage insanity defense, which is used when an African-American person's violent outburst is partly caused by racial tensions. This defense was first used in the mid-1990s.

These examples illustrate how the guilty but mentally ill verdict is used in criminal cases to recognize the defendant's mental illness while still holding them accountable for their actions.