A population-based study of juvenile perpetrators of homicide in England and Wales

This study aimed to describe the social, behavioural and offence characteristics of all convicted perpetrators of homicide aged 17 and under; to examine their previous contact with mental health services, and to discuss strategies for homicide prevention. An eight-year (1996-2004) sample of 363 juvenile homicide perpetrators in England and Wales was examined. The majority of perpetrators were male, used a sharp instrument, and most victims were acquaintances or strangers. Over half had previously offended. A history of alcohol and/or drug misuse was common, as was the prevalence of family dysfunction, abuse, educational difficulties or discipline problems. Previous contact with mental health services was rare. Earlier intervention targeting social and psychological adversity and substance misuse could help to reduce the level of risk for future violence, and may reduce homicide rates among juveniles. Strengthening engagement with young offenders and increasing resources to prevent recidivism may also be beneficial.     

Parental bonds in adolescent perpetrators of sexual violence

A deep understanding of the characteristics of sex offenders may serve to improve clinical prevention and treatment programs. Mostly, however, this knowledge can aid in the creation of better re-education and rehabilitation programs as well as criminological treatment. In prison systems outside of Italy, the use of treatment programs specifically designed for sex offenders is commonplace, whereas in Italy, there is only sporadic experimentation in this field which is aimed at evaluating adults. If this is true for adults, it is even more so for the minors who commit this type of crime that gives rise to worry and a great sense of alarm. The aim of this work is to show the preliminary results of an empirical study that explores the mental representations of the parents of minors who commit acts of sexual violence towards other. This study is an ongoing in collaboration with the Juvenile Justice Center (Centro Giustizia Minorile) of the Region of Apulia, whose first data on 10 juvenile perpetrators of such specific crimes are presented here.     

Criminal responsibility in drunkenness

Surveying government policies and programmes related to drinking problems and the means of controlling drinking behavior apart from criminal law, the author reaches the conclusion that significant resources are needed for the implementation of these policies. Regarding the state of unconscious drunkenness, the author is of the opinion that there are no serious reasons to justify holding a person criminally responsible for an action committed in a "non compos" state due to drunkenness. However, if a person becomes drunk through his own fault, he creates a situation of serious risk, which justifies holding the person responsible. The author believes that the 1948 state of affairs should have been adapted to the requirements of crime policy.     

A psychiatric and social matched case series comparison of victims of criminal homicide and homicide perpetrators in Sweden

The aim of the present study was to compare the psychosocial profiles of criminal homicide victims with those of a matched sample of perpetrators. The hypothesis was that chance determines whether someone becomes a victim or a perpetrator. In a retrospective examination of forensic psychiatric records as well as hospital records, the following variables were studied: nationality, education, substance abuse and psychiatric diagnoses. A comparative study was performed of 88 perpetrators and 83 victims in Sweden during a time period of 17 years (1978-1994). All subjects had been treated as psychiatric inpatients before the homicide. The results support the hypothesis that perpetrators and victims of homicide are similar with regard to psychiatric morbidity and social functioning. The majority were born in Sweden, and the educational level was low in both groups. Substance abuse was common in both groups: 96.7% of male and 65.3% of female victims compared with 76.6% of male and 75% of female perpetrators. Many in both of the groups had criminal records. The only major difference between the groups was recorded for psychotic disorder diagnoses, with a higher rate among perpetrators as well as a lower rate of substance abuse in this group.     

Familicide: a comparison with spousal and child homicide by mentally disordered perpetrators

Background Familicides, the killings of multiple family members, are believed to constitute an overlap between child homicide (filicide) and intimate partner homicide (uxoricide). Aim The aim of this paper was to examine and compare the socio‐demographic, contextual and psychopathological factors of familicide perpetrators with factors of filicide and uxoricide perpetrators. Methods Data were extracted from files in a forensic psychiatric observation hospital in Utrecht, The Netherlands, for the years 1953–2006. The sample of 536 persons was identified in one of the three categories of interest; 23 were accused of familicide, 133 of filicide and 380 of uxoricide. Results Familicide perpetrators are more likely than filicide perpetrators to be male, to be older, to be more educated and to commit the offence with physical violence. They are more likely than uxoricide perpetrators to be married, less likely to have committed a previous violent offence but more likely to suffer from a personality disorder and more likely to attempt suicide following the homicide. Conclusion Although similarities exist between the three groups under study, those accused of familicide cannot be equated with those accused of filicide or uxoricide. The finding that a large majority of the perpetrators were mentally ill at the time and that many killed when faced with divorce and/or custody over the child(ren) may suggest that increased monitoring of this group might have preventative value. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The presumptive role of fantasy in serial sexual homicide

The authors examined the role of fantasy as an internal drive mechanism for repetitive acts of sexual violence. A sample of 25 serial sexual murderers with three or more known victims each was compared with a sample of 17 single sexual murderers, with only one known victim each. The drive mechanism was hypothesized to be an intrusive fantasy life manifested in higher prevalences of paraphilias, documented or self-reported violent fantasies, and organized crime scenes in the serial murderers. All three hypotheses were supported.     

早期精神分裂症刑事作案的责任能力相关因素分析

目的探寻在刑事作案中早期精神分裂症患者的特点及影响责任能力评定的相关因素。方法回顾性调查本中心司法鉴定室1991年至2000年间所作的本中心司法鉴定刑事案例资料,将早期精神分裂症患者与非早期精神分裂症患者和正常者进行分组比较,对家族史、案型、案前精神状况、作案诱因、作案动机、隐蔽性、作案对象、自我保护、鉴定诊断、症状特点、责任能力评定等相关因素用SPSS软件作统计分析。结果早期精神分裂症患者组在精神病家族史、文化程度、职业等方面与其他组相比有显著差异：自我保护、思维障碍、行为障碍等变量对三组被鉴定人具有差别效应。结论为提高在司法精神医学鉴定实践中对早期精神分裂症鉴定的准确性,应重视精神病家族史、作案动机、自我保护、思维障碍、行为障碍诸因素。     

Criminal responsibility assessment in Switzerland: changes and continuity

BACKGROUND: The factors that experts use to assess criminal responsibility are not very well known. Changes in the importance attributed to certain diagnoses are occasionally mentioned in the literature. The aim of this study is to identify the existence and the nature of such modifications. METHOD: We compared the socio-demographic, criminological and psychiatric characteristics of two samples of psychiatric assessments carried out in Geneva, Switzerland in 1973-74 (N = 75) and 1997-98 (N = 94). RESULTS: The two groups of subjects described by the experts' reports appear to be quite different in several characteristics. However, the rate at which experts conclude their reports in favour of diminished responsibility was not found to be significantly different. The logistic regression shows that the diagnosis of personality disorder is the only variable that influenced the experts differently for the 1997-98 period compared to the 1973-74 period. CONCLUSION: In Geneva, psychiatric experts still continue to ascribe diminished responsibility to offenders suffering from psychosis or depression. However, the population that undergoes psychiatric assessments nowadays has changed considerably.     

Criminal responsibility: an action language approach.

Traditionally, the propositions of psychiatry are said to be in conflict with those of the law since psychiatry assumes a "psychic determinism" and the law assumes freedom of the will (Stone, 1978). An argument always arises over the insanity defense since it bridges psychiatry and the law. But one may hold that there is nothing intrinsic to psychiatry which requires causally stated propositions. By formulating psychiatric propositions in a different form, specifically by adopting the action language of Roy Schafer (1976a), there need be no incompatibility between psychiatric and legal statements about criminal responsibility.     

Sexual burglaries and sexual homicide: clinical, forensic, and investigative considerations.

Burglary, the third most common crime after larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft, is rarely the focus of forensic psychiatric study. While most burglaries are motivated simply by material gain, there is a subgroup of burglaries fueled by sexual dynamics. The authors differentiate two types of sexual burglaries: 1) fetish burglaries with overt sexual dynamics; and 2) voyeuristic burglaries, in which the sexual element is often covert and far more subtle. Many forensic practitioners have informally noted the relationship of burglaries to sexual homicide, but this relationship has not otherwise been studied in any detail. In this article, the incidence of (sexual) burglaries by 52 sexual murderers whom the authors evaluated, as well as the incidence in cases reported by others, is reported. Implications of these findings for forensic assessments and profiling of unidentified offenders are discussed.     

Gender differences in Ayrshire teenagers' attitudes to sexual relationships, responsibility and unintended pregnancies

Disadvantages and risks related to teenage pregnancy, together with a recent increase in Scottish conception rates among teenagers aged 13-15 years old, give cause for concern. Using an illustrated short story and questionnaire, attitudes of 129 Ayrshire teenagers aged 14-15 years old were examined to teenage pregnancy, and more generally to early sex. Seventy-three percent of girls advocated joint responsibility for contraceptive protection compared with only 46% of boys (p<0.01). Also, significantly more boys than girls saw nothing wrong with casual sex (21%vs. 5%, p<0.01), and significantly less boys than girls upheld the virtue of commitment in sexual relationships (27%vs. 54%, p<0.01). Sex education programmes should explore these gender-related disparities.