Theoretical aspects of sanity, insanity and limited sanity of crime subject

Cover Page

Cite item

Abstract

The norms that define the subject of a crime and such a property as sanity, the practice of applying these norms, as well as scientific approaches to the study of sanity as a sign of crime subject are studied. An attempt of the author's approach to its distinction from limited sanity and insanity is made. The age, legal and medical criteria of sanity are singled out. Together with the materials of law enforcement practice, summary statistical information on the activities of federal courts of general jurisdiction and justices of the peace for 2019–2021 Is used as empirical data. in terms of the application of coercive measures of a medical nature, allowing to identify cases of establishing insanity or limited sanity. It is established that sanity is the ability of the subject to understand his actions and evaluate their compliance with the rule of law. If the subject has specific beliefs or mental problems that do not affect his ability to be aware of his actions, then he is recognized as sane. In this case, he cannot use his mental problems or other circumstances as an excuse for his actions. Insanity is defined as the state when the subject does not meet the criteria of sanity at the time of the commission of the crime due to mental problems. Limited sanity means that the subject could be aware of the direction of his actions, but due to the presence of certain mental problems (for example, affective or emotional), he could not understand the meaning of his actions.

About the authors

Maryus Y. MURKSHTIS

Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba

Author for correspondence.
Email: murkshtis-my@rudn.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0010-5438

Dr. habil. (Law), Associate Professor of Criminal Law and Forensics Department of Law Institute

Russian Federation, 6 Miklukho-Maklaya St., Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation

References

  1. Bekman O.A., Bragin K.S. (2022). The place of sanity in the structure of the signs of the subject of the crime. Zakon i pravo = Law and Legislation, no. 7, pp. 146-148. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24412/2073-3313-2022-7-146-148, https://elibrary.ru/srerwm
  2. Altynbaeva L.M. (2014). Age sanity of a crime committer. Sibirskoe yuridicheskoe obozrenie = Siberian Legal Review, no. 3 (24), pp. 56-59. (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/sjitjv
  3. Shunyaeva V.A. (2017). The age of insanity: value, content, reason. Probely v rossiiskom zakonodatel’stve = Gaps in Russian Legislation, no. 6, pp. 29-31. (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/ykxgps
  4. Milikova A.V., Belova Yu.A., Vishneva A.V. (2023). Sanity and insanity in the criminal law of Russia. Mir nauki i mysli = The World of Science and Ideas, no. 1, pp. 120-124. (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/iqakzh
  5. Vaselovskaya A.V. (2019). Features of compulsory medical measures connected with the execution of punishment. Vestnik Kuzbazsskogo instituta = Bulletin of the Kuzbass Institute, no. 1 (38), pp. 9-15. (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/vwsbbn
  6. Makushkina O.A., Polubinskaya S.V. (2013). Compulsory measures of medical nature combined with punishment: legal regulation and enforcement. Rossiiskii psikhiatricheskii zhurnal = Russian Journal of Psychiatry, no. 6, pp. 18-23. (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/rxernp
  7. Shcherbakov A.V. (2013). Problem of the definition of the perpetrator in the modern criminal law of Russia. Probely v rossiiskom zakonodatel’stve = Gaps in Russian Legislation, no. 2, pp. 100-106. (In Russ.) https://elibrary.ru/qagsep
  8. LaFave W. (2018). Criminal law. St. Paul, MN, West Group Publ., 1046 p.
  9. Shesler A.V., Vaselovskaya A.V. (2021). Public danger of a person as a basis for applying compulsory medical measures. Vserossiiskii kriminologicheskii zhurnal = Russian Journal of Criminology, no. 4, pp. 426-433. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17150/2500-4255.2021.15(4).426-433, https://elibrary.ru/yqjune
  10. Bartol C.R. (2008). Criminal Behavior: a Psychosocial Approach. Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall Publ., 760 p.

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML

Copyright (c) 2025 MURKSHTIS M.Y.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Согласие на обработку персональных данных

 

Используя сайт https://journals.rcsi.science, я (далее – «Пользователь» или «Субъект персональных данных») даю согласие на обработку персональных данных на этом сайте (текст Согласия) и на обработку персональных данных с помощью сервиса «Яндекс.Метрика» (текст Согласия).