Forensic Psychiatric Examination Research Articles

Saúde mental e aplicação penal: destino de presos considerados inimputáveis

Objetivo: Verificar o destino dos sujeitos classificados como inimputáveis no Instituto Médico Legal do Centro de Perícias Científicas “Renato Chaves”, analisando os fatores determinantes dos desfechos possíveis. Métodos: Trata-se de estudo transversal realizado com 76 periciandos considerados inimputáveis, nos anos de 2012 a 2013, em centro forense no estado do Pará. Os dados foram obtidos através de protocolo de pesquisa revisando o exame de responsabilidade penal, e analisados pelos testes de Qui-quadrado de Aderência e o Teste Exato de Fisher. Resultados: Na casuística destacou-se: o gênero masculino (89,5%), nível escolar: ensino fundamental (55,3%), e crimes hediondos (51,3%). As análises que tiveram relevância estatística foram: preponderância de crimes hediondos cometidos pelos periciandos submetidos à medida de segurança detentiva (44,7%), e internações como medida de segurança com frequência relevante para aqueles com transtornos psicóticos (39,5%) abuso de substâncias psicoativas e retardo mental (13,2%). Conclusão: A medida de segurança detentiva foi a mais frequente, justificadas pelos transtornos psicóticos. Apenas o tipo de crime e o grupo dos transtornos psicóticos foram determinantes sobre a escolha do tipo de medida de segurança. O acompanhamento desses pacientes desde a atenção básica pode minimizar o risco de desfechos negativos tanto para si quanto para a sociedade.

ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ СОЦІАЛЬНО-ДЕМОГРАФІЧНИХ ТА АНАЛІЗ КЛІНІЧНОЇ СТРУКТУРИ ПСИХІЧНИХ ПОРУШЕНЬ У ОСІБ, ЯКІ МОГЛИ БУТИ ВИЗНАНІ «ОБМЕЖЕНО ОСУДНИМИ» ПРИ СУДОВО- ПСИХІАТРИЧНІЙ ЕКСПЕРТИЗІ ОСІБ, ЯКІ СКОЇЛИ СЕКСУАЛЬНІ ПОРУШЕННЯ


 
 
 
 The results of scientific research conducted within the framework of the doctoral thesis "Forensic psychiatric evaluation of persons who have committed sexual criminal offenses." For the purposes of the study the author analyzed 287 cases of forensic psychiatric examinations regarding the subject, who committed the sexual offense and were at the forensic psychiatric examination in Kiev city center forensic psychiatric examination in 2000 to 2015 (16 years). To determine the relationship between the degree of opportunities to realize their actions and manage the solution and expert author on the group - "responsibility" - was empirically selected group - "limited responsibility", which was formed artificially, based on the national concept of " limited responsibility ". Revealed that the identified socio-demographic and clinicals in this scientific research can be to determine critera " limited responsibility" in forensic psychiatric examinations persons who have committed sexual offenses.
 
 
 

СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ЗАКОНОДАТЕЛЬНЫЕ ТРЕБОВАНИЯ К ПРОИЗВОДСТВУ СУДЕБНО-ПСИХИАТРИЧЕСКОЙ ЭКСПЕРТИЗЫ В РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ЗАКОНОДАТЕЛЬНЫЕ ТРЕБОВАНИЯ К ПРОИЗВОДСТВУ СУДЕБНО-ПСИХИАТРИЧЕСКОЙ ЭКСПЕРТИЗЫ В РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

Exploring a new structured professional judgment measure (impulsivity measure related to violence) after an average follow-up of 10years: A study of Finnish offenders.

BackgroundIdentification of the risk factors underlying impulsivity related to violent acts is an essential component of risk assessment and management to reduce violent offending.AimsOur aim was to develop a clinically useful measure for assessing impulsivity related to violence. Our research questions were which items in the newly developed measure are associated with later violent recidivism and what is the measure's predictive validity?MethodsA new scale, the impulsivity measure related to violence (IMP‐V), was studied by completing the scale, blind to outcome, from information in the forensic psychiatric examination reports of 63 of a 1‐year referral cohort of 181 Finnish offenders. Data on reoffending for up to 15 years after release were collected from official criminal records.ResultsThe predictive accuracy of the IMP‐V continuous ratings was 78% and for the categorical summary risk ratings 77%. Univariate analyses of categorical summary risk ratings of the risk factors revealed that, with two exceptions, each additional score on the IMP‐V was associated with a significant increase in violence recidivism.ConclusionsThese preliminary results indicate that the IMP‐V is a promising decision‐enhancing guide for assessing the risk of violence in impulsive people and that the measure is worth developing for use with impulsivity‐prone offenders and forensic psychiatric patients. The IMP‐V organises information on the nature of impulsivity in violence‐prone persons and thus also creates opportunities for more effective risk management.

An organic mental disorder and comorbid affective spectrum disturbances: a forensic-psychiatric assessment

To identify the influence of combined pathology, an organic personality disorder and affective disturbances, on the regulation of subjects' legally significant behavior in forensic-psychiatric examination in criminal and civil proceedings. Two groups of patients with the diagnosis of organic personality disorder (ICD-10 F07) established in the course of forensic-psychiatric examination were studied. The first group included 82 criminally prosecuted men (mean age 40.7±15.8); the second group comprised 50 women (mean age 65.1±15.4) and 28 men (mean age 60.2±14.4), who underwent forensic-psychiatric examination in civil litigation over declaring their contracts null and void. All patients had affective disorders. Standard expertise procedure and data analysis were used. The modifying influence of a set of psychogenic factors is of great significance in the course of forensic-psychiatric examination of individuals diagnosed with organic personality disorder: in criminal proceedings these are determined by the fact of being prosecuted, and in civil proceedings by the problems of adaptation, deterioration of one's social status, and the somatic ill-being. The unfavorable dynamics of organic mental disorder in these cases manifested itself in decompensation of personality, cognitive disturbances or addition of comorbid depressive disorders (68.3 and 31.7%, respectively). In 48.7% of patients, the addition of affective pathology to organic disorders significantly increased the extent of disturbance of cognitive functions, insight and prognostic capacity, volitional control of activity, which determined the incapacity of patients to understand the significance of their own actions and control them at the time of entering into contract.

A Classic Case of Horrible Family Violence Where the Father Tried To Kill His Children – Dynamics of the Relationship between the Perpetrator and the Victim in Forensic Psychiatric Examination

On February 28, 2019, something terrible happened on the island of Pag, Croatia. A man at the age of 54 at 6:30 in the morning dropped his four little children from the first floor of the house down to the concrete; he threw them down from six meters high. Children are three, five, seven and eight years old. The scene was terrible: Four kids lay on concrete in the blood pools and everyone who saw it was shocked. All children have suffered injury, and the most seriously injured was 7-year-old girl who has been operated and successfully recovering. This case is one of the most horrible forms of family violence.

Procedural Legal Personality of the Subject of a Crime

The article examines the conformity and interaction of the actual and procedural statuses of criminal procedure participants within the framework of the cross-cutting mechanism of criminal law regulation. The author concludes that standing arises at the time of the actual emergence of the ability to exercise procedural rights and bear the relevant duties, since the procedural status of a person is established on the basis of its actual position and is only drawn up by a procedural decision, but is not formed by it. The specifics of the person’s sanity at various stages of criminal procedure directly affects his procedural capacity. If a person has committed an act prohibited by criminal law in a state of insanity or he has a mental disorder after committing a crime, making it impossible to impose a sentence or execute it, then such a participant in criminal proceedings may be declared procedurally incompetent if his mental state does not allow him to exercise procedural rights, under Articles 46 and 47 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (part 1 of Article 437 of the Code of Criminal Procedure), or participate in a court hearing (part 1 of Article 441 of the Code of Criminal Procedure). In this case, the law enforcer every time when addressing this issue should resort to the help of experts involved in forensic psychiatric examination, and, if necessary, request a medical conclusion of a psychiatric hospital. Therefore, it would be wrong to assume that this participant in criminal proceedings is always procedurally incapable, since the criminal law aspect of a person’s irresponsibility is not always of legal importance in determining procedural capacity.

THE USE OF MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE CRIME INVESTIGATION

Introduction: Investigation of many types of crimes is accompanied by the involvement of health care workers. They, with the help of their special skills in the sphere of medicine, assist the investigator in identification, fixation and caption of evidence. Health care workers take part in many investigative procedures, carry out forensic, psychiatric and other kinds of examinations. The aim: To reveal modern forms of using medical knowledge during the crime investigation. Materials and methods: The abstract is based on the teachings of scholars of forensic physicians, criminologists, the results of our survey of investigators and forensic experts, the results of our generalization of criminal proceedings regarding the investigation of murders, normative and legal acts of Ukraine and other sources. The system of scientific knowledge methods: historical, statistical, questionnaires, generalizations and others, was used during the research. Review: Our research reveals the following forms of using medical knowledge during crime investigation. This is the participation of physicians as specialists in investigative procedures, like the review of the scene, interrogation, investigation experiment, examination, participation in the selection of biological samples for carrying out expert examinations, physicians' assistance in the form of the recreation of the deceased person's face with a view of its identification, also the consultations of physicians - cardiologists, traumatologists, surgeons, forensic experts, etc., carrying out of forensic and forensic and psychiatric examinations, use of medical knowledge in the form of molecular genome research with the view of person's identification. The argumentative issues on the interaction between the investigator and the physician during the review of the scene, interrogation and other investigative procedures, implementation of molecular genome research and certain issues arising in the appointment of forensic and forensic psychiatric examinations are reviewed in the abstract. Conclusions: The use of medical knowledge is necessary for investigation of many types of crimes. The forms of using medical knowledge in the crime investigations such as the participation of physicians as specialists in the carrying out of investigative procedures, the physicians' assistance in the form of the recreation of the deceased person's face with a view to its identification and physicians' consultations are widely spread nowadays. The conduct of forensic, medical and forensic and forensic psychiatric examinations is the most widespread. The use of medical knowledge in the form of genotyposcopic and molecular genome research carried out in order to identify a person during the crime investigations is popular nowadays.

MENTAL ILLNESS AS A CONSEQUENCE OF CRIMINAL OFFENCE AGAINST THE PERSON

Introduction: Among crimes against human health we distinguish serious bodily harms, one of the signs of which is recognized as a mental illness. The aim:The paper was aimed at the development of the procedure for determining the mental disorder of a victim as a sign of a serious bodily harm, as well as the establishing the possibilities of clarifying the legislative formulation of the above norm of the Criminal Code. Materials and methods: Over 300 criminal proceedings under the Arts.121, 122 and 125 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for the period from 2007 to 2018 have been studied. For this purpose, common methods of research have been used, namely, the analysis and synthesis, as well as own observations of the process of consideration of the above criminal proceedings. Results and conclusions: The findings of the study assisted in identification of gaps in the regulation of the procedure to define mental illness as a characteristic feature of serious bodily harm. The ways of further improvement of the procedure of conducting expert studies of mental illness as a characteristic feature of a serious bodily harm. The rules for determining the psychic (mental) illness that are recognized by us as archaic and that does not correspond to the established procedure of such definition by the comprehensive forensic medical and forensic psychiatric examination involving a forensic medical expert, two or three psychiatrists (narcologists), summarizing in the conclusion of the presence of mental illness in a person, assessed by experts as a characteristic feature of serious bodily harm should be changed.

НЕБЕЗПЕЧНИЙ ПОРНОГРАФІЧНИЙ КОНТЕНТ В ІНТЕРНЕТІ ЯК ПРОЕКЦІЯ РОЗЛАДІВ ОСОБИСТОСТІ РОЗПОВСЮДЖУВАЧА ДИТЯЧОЇ ПОРНОГРАФІІ

The article reveals the issues of danger to Internet users from pornographic content, which is defined as a specific activity projection of a personality deviation of the distributor of child pornography. An analysis of reference sources indicates that the cognitive sphere of child pornography distributor in information networks distincts from those with pedophilic inclinations may be sufficiently developed and should be reflected in the destructive tendencies of their personal dynamics and actions in a specific way. The object of the article is to identify the specifics of information-dangerous pornographic content on the Internet as a projection of personality deviation of the ICT user who produces and distributes child pornography. In the course of the empirical study it was used the semantic analysis techniques of the findings of forensic psychiatric examinations towards those who depraved minors, as well as those who decoyed minors, produced and distributed child pornography in the Internet. Quantitative indexes of psychological variables were established in accordance with nominative and order scales. Empirical data was processed using nonparametric statistical methods. The studies research has been found that ICT user who depraves minors, produces and distributes child pornography in the Internet, along with the necessary development of intelligence, cognitive abilities and sufficient self-organization of cognitive processes is capable of a progressive disintegration of value-motivational sphere with a sharp increase in selfish consumer motives and conscious systematic contempt for social values. It is proved that such persons’ confrontation of development processes and increasing of destruction at the level of personality structure lead to a significant increase of psychic tension, nervous prostration, progression of neurotic disorders, and increase of repetition offenses. It is noted that information-dangerous pornographic content created and distributed by ICT users on the Internet is emotion-laden, seductive, obtrusive, causing the obsessive attention of the observer, and also tends to extension in future.

Criteria for limited sanity for individuals that committed a sexual assault

The results of scientific research conducted within the framework of the doctoral thesis "Forensic psychiatric evaluation of persons who have committed sexual criminal offenses". For the purposes of the study the author analyzed 286 cases of forensic psychiatric examinations regarding the subject, who committed the sexual offense and were at the forensic psychiatric examination in Kiev city center forensic psychiatric examination in 2000 to 2016 (16 years). To determine the relationship between the degree of opportunities to realize their actions and manage the solution and expert author on the group - "responsibility" - was empirically selected group - "limited responsibility", which was formed artificially, based on the national concept of "limited responsibility". Revealed that the identified socio-demographic and clinicals in this scientific research can be to determine critera "limited responsibility" in forensic psychiatric examinations persons who have committed sexual offenses .

Special features of the outpatient forensic psychiatric examination in civil proceedings according to the Varna district court docket for the period 2007-2012

Summary: In recent years, in connection with reconsideration of the place of forensic psychiatry among other expert sciences, the apparent deficit of research in the field of forensic psychiatric examination methodology has been noted. The outpatient forensic psychiatric examination as well as other court expertises are procedural tools for collecting and verifying evidence in criminal and civil proceedings. The aim of the article is to examine the peculiarities of an outpatient expertise and the difficulties in preparing the post-mortem forensic psychiatric examinations in civil proceedings. Material: 327 individuals, certified by experts with subsequent judgments delivered by Varna District Court for the period 2007-2012, were examined. Methods: a specially designed card for collecting data from the certified individuals surveyed by: forensic psychiatric examinations, parts of disease histories, psychological research, and court decisions. Results: a post-mortem expert opinion is particularly complex due to the absence of the object of study and the conclusion is based on evidence from the case file. In a number of cases, a common difficulty in preparing post-mortem forensic psychiatric examination is the absence of medical documentation. The objectification of the status of the individual under examination during the act or during the conclusion of a civil act in such circumstances is significantly complicated and it is impossible to characterize the individual and the mental health. This raises the question of creating a national electronic database that provides timely and reliable access in case of preparation documents of expert significance, as well as a single institute for forensic expertise.

The Forensic Psychiatric Expertise in Romania: The Legal Medicine Implications

The Penal Code of Romania, describes a list of paragraphs about the criminal offences made by people with unknown or acute mental illness or in circumstances that can affect the judgment of the one directly involved. In these cases, the only way to investigate the state of mind of a criminal in the moment that he produced that offence, is by analysing his mental capacity, his reactions in those circumstances, to investigate his social and family history and by interviewing him in front of the medico-legal psychiatric committee after a clinical and paraclinical assessment. The felon is brought by a police or a prosecutor order in front of the committee, after the investigations demonstrated that he or she is for sure the criminal offender and there are no longer suspicions about the identity of the felon. The offender can be brought for forensic psychiatric examination if he is already known with a mental illness or if, during the investigations, the police observes suspect changes of the behavior. There are also some crimes, the severe ones, that are mandatory to be investigated psychiatrically. The procedure is very complex but the investigations often depend entirely on the conclusions of the medico-legal psychiatric expertise.

Criteria for limited sanity in persons who have committed criminal sexual offenses

The results of scientific research conducted within the framework of the doctoral thesis "Forensic psychiatric evaluation of persons who have committed sexual criminal offences." For the purpose of the study, the author analyzed 279 cases of forensic psychiatric examinations of persons who committed the sexual offence and were at the forensic psychiatric examination in Kiev Center for Forensic Psychiatric Examination during 2001-2015 (15 years). To determine the relationship between the degree of opportunities to realize their actions/manage them and expert's conclusion, from the group of compos mentis was derived a group of partially compos mentis patients; it was formed artificially, based on the national concept of "limited sanity". As a result, we have identified socio-demographical and clinical criteria for "limited compos mentis" in forensic psychiatric examinations of persons who have committed sexual offences.

Нейропсихологическое исследование при судебно-психологической экспертной оценке сделкоспособности

Relevance of the research consists in consideration the forensic neuropsychological assessment in Russia. The new problem of use of neuropsychological methods in complex forensic psychological and psychiatric examination and forensic psychiatric examination is studied. The article presents the results of neuropsychological assessment of the persons, who could not understand the meaning of their actions, regulate and control them at the time of the transaction. The persons, who could not understand the meaning of their actions, regulate and control them at the time of the transaction, characterized by the presence of a decrease of the ability to control one's actions and the of spatial functions, the neuropsychological syndrome of memory and consciousness. The persons who were able to make decisions at the time of the transaction, such features were less. The importance of the use of neuropsychological methods in forensic examination was established.

Сложности психолого-психиатрической экспертной квалификации психического состояния несовершеннолетних, покончивших жизнь самоубийством

The article describes condition of teenagers’ suicidal activity. Features of the postmortal forensic psychological and psychiatric examination and its specificity in adolescents are considered. Difficulties of retrospective psychological and clinical-psychopathological assessment of mental state of minors who committed suicide are disclosed on the example of single case of the postmortal complex forensic psychological and psychiatric examination of the teenager's suicide. The article presents justification of the expert decision.

The Psychological Problems of Teenagers With Addictive Behaviour: The Role of Life Meaning Strategies

There are various forms of addictions that teenagers indulge in. Soviet and international research show that teenagers’ addictions cause problems in interpersonal relationships, increase risk behaviour and is one of the reasons for suicides. Studies have also found that drug abuse problems that started in the teenage years lead to serious abuse problems in early adulthood, although abuse tends to decrease in the late 20s. One of the protective factors from addictive behaviour for teenagers is the ‘meaning of life’ and spiritual values, which play a major role in impulse control. This study investigated two groups of teenagers; the experimental group using participants with drug addiction and the control group using participants with no addiction. This study examined how teenagers’ values predicted adult social roles, civic behaviors, and drug use. Results suggest that attention should be paid to how teenagers think about their future due to the associated links with long- term social and health behaviours. This findings of the study reveals that there are considerable differences both in terms of individual indicators, and on the relationships between the meaning-life orientations and value orientations in the structure of personal life plans of teenagers who exhibit and those who do not exhibit addictive behaviour. The research has shown that psycho-corrective work should take into account the formation of personal life plans of teenagers. Identified characteristics of personal life plans for teenagers who are prone to addictive behaviour can be used for psychodiagnostic purposes when carrying out complex judicial psycho-psychiatric examination or forensic psychiatric examination.

Виктимологические аспекты геронтопсихиатрии. Предупреждение жестокого обращения и насилия

Background : the ageing of the world's population is accompanied by an increase in cases of age discrimination, abuse and violence. In Russia there is no monitoring of cases of abuse of elderly people. There has been an increase in crimes against the elderly related to fraud with their property, physical violence by children. We observe a growing number of property transactions committed under the influence of fraud, deceit. There is an increasing number of elderly, deprived of legal capacity. The aim was to identify the determinants and forms of ill-treatment we examined 235 patients of a late age who underwent forensic psychiatric examination in the criminal and civil cases. The results revealed forms of abuse and violence: physical — bodily injury; psychological — involuntary placement in a psychiatric hospital and an examination by a psychiatrist, a psychiatric hold in the hospital, the unlawful deprivation of legal capacity; financial — fraud with housing for older people, manipulation at the conclusion of civil-legal acts. Risk of abuse increases the biological determinants — sensory and motor deprivation, multimorbidity pathology, specific disorders later in life, dementia; socio-psychological — the termination of labor activity, loneliness, conflicts with children and alcohol; legal — conclusion and contestation civil legal acts, legal illiteracy, legal controversy, the lack of legal protection. Conclusions : to prevent abuse of the elderly a complex of legislative measures is required aimed at protection of their rights, monitoring of cases of abuse, legal, psychological, educational, medical education and assistance programs, enhancing the spiritual culture of the people.

Çocuk ve ergen adli vakalarda karışıldığı iddia olunan suç tipleri ile benlik saygısı ve depresif belirtiler arasındaki ilişki

Objective: Stemmed from the idea of “there is no juvenile delinquent, but rather there are juveniles draged to crime”; the children and adolescents who have been referred to Mus State Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatric outpatient clinic with different alleged crime types were examined retrospectively, in terms of depression, self-esteem, and various socio-demographic factors. Methods: The study was conducted retrospectively on children and adolescents who were referred to Mus State Hospital between February 2012 and February 2013 for the purpose of forensic psychiatric examination to assess their criminal responsibility regarding the alleged crimes. The children formed three groups of alleged crime types; theft, malicious wounding and terrorist propaganda. Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and Coopersmith Self-Esteem Scale (CSEI) scores were compared. Results: There was a difference between the CDI and CSEI scores of the groups. In post hoc comparisons, the CDI score of the alleged malicious wounding group was lower than the other two groups. CSEI score was significantly higher than the alleged theft group, and almost significantly higher than the alleged terrorist propaganda group. Discussion: It is observed that there is a difference in terms of CDI and CSEI scores between the groups of alleged crime type. In particular, the CDI scores of the alleged malicious wounding group were lower and their self-esteem was higher than the other two groups. This finding suggests that diverse etiologies may have been effective in directing different crime types in juvenile delinquency.

Firesetting and general criminal recidivism among a consecutive sample of Finnish pretrial male firesetters: A register-based follow-up study

The rate of criminal reoffending among firesetters varies greatly. Our aim was to investigate firesetting and general criminal recidivism in a consecutive sample of Finnish males who were sent for a forensic psychiatric examination (FPE)11FPE = Forensic psychiatric examination. after committing firesetting offenses. We also wanted to evaluate the relationships between psychopathy and criminal recidivism, and between schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and criminal recidivism. The sample comprised 113 firesetters with a mean age of 32.8 years, and the average follow-up time was 16.9 years. The FPE statements of the firesetters were reviewed and psychiatric diagnoses were collected. The psychopathy assessments were based on the 20-item Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). Information on reoffending was gathered from the Finnish National Police Register. During the follow-up 20 (18%) persons were registered for a new firesetting and 84 (74%) for any new offense. Firesetters with high traits (PCL-R ≥ 25) of psychopathy were more likely than those with low traits (PCL-R < 25) to reoffend with any crime during the follow-up. The risk of general criminal recidivism was lower among firesetters with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder than among those with non-psychotic disorders. Conclusively, both firesetting and general criminal-recidivism rates were high in this sample of offenders.