n. in law, a condition of the mind that renders a person incapable of being responsible for his or her criminal acts. Defendants who are found to be not guilty by reason of insanity therefore lack criminal responsibility for their conduct. Whether a person is insane, in this legal sense, is determined by judges and juries, not psychologists or psychiatrists. Numerous legal standards for determining criminal responsibility, the central issue in an insanity defense, have been used at various times in many jurisdictions. These include the Durham rule, the American Law Institute Model Penal Code insanity test, and the M’Naghten rule. See also partial insanity. —insaneadj.
(formula: CO2) a colorless, odorless, incombustible gas formed during respiration, decomposition of organic substances, and combustion. All life on earth is carbon based. The increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is considered to be a main cause of global warming.