Assembly passes bill fixing insanity plea

The Nevada Assembly on Friday approved legislation reinstating the plea of "innocent by reason of insanity."

AB156 abolishes the state's "guilty but mentally ill" plea, which was created several sessions ago as part of a major rewrite of Nevada's criminal statutes. The Supreme Court ruled that plea unconstitutional citing long standing rulings which say insane people cannot be convicted criminally for their actions.

Assemblyman Garn Maybey, R-Las Vegas, said the legislation doesn't let someone off the hook if they successfully use the insanity plea. It provides that a person acquitted of a crime by reason of insanity must be committed to the custody of the state Director of Human Resources and confined until he is discharged in accordance with the law.

The bill passed unanimously. It now goes to the Senate.