ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

M'Naghten Rules

Okay kiddo, let me tell you about something called m'naghten rules. It's a big and fancy name, but it's really very simple.

Sometimes people do things that are considered wrong or bad. For example, stealing something from someone. If someone steals something, they might go to jail for it. But sometimes people do things that are wrong because they aren't thinking clearly.

Let's use an example. Imagine you're playing a game of tag with your friends, and you accidentally bump into your friend and make them fall. They get hurt and everyone is upset. You didn't mean to hurt your friend, you were just playing a game and it was an accident. You didn't know what you were doing was wrong, and you weren't thinking clearly.

The m'naghten rules are like a set of rules that judges and lawyers use to decide if someone was thinking clearly when they did something wrong. If someone did something wrong because they were confused or didn't understand what they were doing, they might not be held responsible for it.

The m'naghten rules were named after a man named Daniel M'Naghten, who was accused of killing someone in the 1800s. He was found not guilty because he was considered to be insane at the time of the crime. The m'naghten rules were created to help people who might not have been thinking clearly at the time they did something wrong.

So, to sum it up, the m'naghten rules are like a set of guidelines that help judges and lawyers decide if someone was thinking clearly when they did something wrong. If they weren't thinking clearly, they might not be held responsible for their actions.