Irresistible impulse

The irresistible impulse (a term of jurisprudence) refers to a defense by excuse, in this case some sort of insanity; in which, the defendant argues that they should not be held criminally liable for actionss which broke the law, because they couldn't control their actions.

In 1994, Lorena Bobbitt was found not guilty of a crime, when her defense argued that an irresistible impulse led her to cut off her husband's penis.

The California Penal Code states (2002), "The defense of diminished capacity is hereby abolished ... there shall be no defense of ... diminished responsibility or irresistible impulse..."