Аннотация:The article gives the basic conceptual concepts of sanity and irresponsibility. It is noted in the article that thesubject of a crime may not be any natural person who has reached the age of criminal responsibility, it must stillbe sane. A person in a state of insanity is not subject to criminal liability and is not a subject of a crime (Article21 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).The article emphasizes that sanity is a normal state of mindof a healthy person, expressed in the ability to be aware of the actual nature and social danger of one’s deed andto lead it. In criminal law, the concept of "responsibility" is the antithesis of the concept of "insanity". Insanity isthe inability of a person to give an account of his actions (inaction) and lead them at the time of the crime, due toa painful state of mind or dementia. The state of insanity is determined by the conclusion of a forensic psychiatricexamination. The article briefly describes the relevant problems arising in connection with the determination ofthe state of insanity in practice.