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Legal Dictionary of Pakistan

Quick lookup for English, Urdu, and Latin legal terms used in Pakistani jurisprudence.

diminished capacity

See CAPACITY (3;

diminished capacity.

An impaired mental condition - short of insanity - that is caused by intoxication, trauma, or disease and that prevents the person from having the mental state necessary to be held responsible for a crime. ( In some jurisdictions, a defendant's diminished capacity can be used to determine the degree of the offense or the severity of the punishment. - Also termed diminished responsibility. Cf. INSANITY.