Cite as: 512 U. S. 573 (1994)
Opinion of the Court
ant Attorney General Harris, Deputy Solicitor General Bryson, and Deborah Watson.*
Justice Thomas delivered the opinion of the Court.
In this case, we consider whether a federal district court is required to instruct the jury regarding the consequences to the defendant of a verdict of "not guilty by reason of insanity," either under the Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984 or as a matter of general federal practice. We conclude that such an instruction is not required, and therefore affirm.
I
A
Prior to the enactment of the Insanity Defense Reform Act of 1984 (IDRA or Act), 18 U. S. C. §§ 17, 4241-4247, federal courts generally did not recognize a verdict of "not guilty by reason of insanity" (NGI). Defendants who mounted a successful insanity defense—that is, those who raised a reasonable doubt as to their sanity at the time of the offense—were simply found "not guilty." See, e. g., United States v. McCracken, 488 F. 2d 406, 409, 418 (CA5 1974); Evalt v. United States, 359 F. 2d 534, 537 (CA9 1966). In addition, there was no general federal civil commitment procedure available to ensure that an insanity acquittee would receive proper care and treatment. Only in the District of Columbia was a defendant who successfully presented an insanity defense to a federal criminal charge subject to a federal commitment process—a process governed by a 1955 congressional enactment. See 69 Stat. 609, as amended, D. C. Code Ann. § 24-301 (1981).1 Elsewhere, federal authorities
*Peter Margulies filed a brief for the Coalition for the Fundamental Rights of Ex-Patients urging reversal.
1 See also United States v. Brawner, 471 F. 2d 969, 996 (CADC 1972) (en banc); United States v. Cohen, 733 F. 2d 128, 129-131 (CADC 1984) (en banc); United States v. Thigpen, 4 F. 3d 1573, 1576, and n. 1 (CA11 1993) (en banc), cert. pending, No. 93-6747.
575
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