Diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder and criminal responsibility

The present study empirically investigates whether personality disorders and psychopathic traits in criminal suspects are reasons for diminished criminal responsibility or enforced treatment in high security hospitals. Recently, the tenability of the claim that individuals with personality disorders and psychopathy can be held fully responsible for crimes has been questioned on theoretical bases. According to some interpretations, these disorders are due to cognitive, biological and developmental deficits that diminish the individual's accountability.The current article presents two studies among suspects of serious crimes under forensic evaluation in a Dutch forensic psychiatric observation clinic. The first study examined how experts weigh personality disorders in their conclusions as far as the degree of criminal responsibility and the need for enforced forensic psychiatric treatment are concerned (n = 843). The second study investigated associations between PCL-R scores and experts' responsibility and treatment advisements (n = 108).The results suggest that in Dutch forensic practice, the presence of a personality disorder decreased responsibility and led to an advice for enforced forensic treatment. Experts also take characteristics of psychopathy concerning impulsivity and (ir)responsibility into consideration when judging criminal accountability. Furthermore, they deem affective deficiencies sufficiently important to indicate suspects' threat to society or dangerousness and warrant a need for forensic treatment.     

精神病人凶杀案的作案特征与刑事责任能力问题

探讨精神病人杀人的作案特征与刑事责任能力问题。以精神病人 ( 74例 )与非精神病人 ( 77例 )的案例资料进行对照研究。精神病人杀人具有突发性、公开性、残忍性 ;妄想 ( 4 7 2 % )、幻听 ( 31 3 % )是其促发杀人的主要危险因素 ;犯案以精神分裂症居首位 ( 4 0 5 % ) ,其次是躁狂抑郁症 ( 14 8% )。作案特征与作案动机是精神病人凶杀案刑事责任能力鉴定的重要依据     

论量刑根据──兼及刑法第61条的立法完善

量刑根据是量刑的基础。我国刑法中的刑事责任的内涵不同于欧陆刑法中的责任,决定了我国不能照搬欧陆刑法关于量刑根据的规定。我国的量刑根据由行为刑事责任与性格刑事责任所构成,行为刑事责任是基本的量刑根据,性格刑事责任是补充的量刑根据,两者的结合兼顾了报应与预防。行为刑事责任的程度表现为基本法定刑、加重或者减轻法定刑和由犯罪情节所影响的处罚轻重等三个层次。性格刑事责任的程度应由法官具体判断。现行刑法第61条关于量刑根据的规定,存在主旨不明和表述不清的弊端,应当加以完善。     

The irresponsible criminal in Norwegian medico-legal discourse

This article discusses discourses on criminal responsibility in Norway in the 19th and 20th centuries, in light of Michel Foucault's regimes of power and knowledge: the apparatuses of law, discipline and security. The passing of two criminal codes, in 1842 and 1902 marks a development from neo-classical law to a law influenced by positivist criminology. In these consecutive ways of thinking law, the figure of the irresponsible criminal constituted a contentious issue. From being a figure marking the limits of the law, the irresponsible criminal became an object to be disciplined and a security threat. This redefinition of criminal responsibility created or was created by new groups of experts speaking from positions increasingly close to the criminals. The most important professional group was of course the psychiatrists, that emerged in Norway as a distinct professional group in the second half of the 19th century, and whose influence in the legislative process culminated in the 1920s.     

人身危险性概念新论

人身危险性是刑法理论中一个极为重要的范畴 ,我国刑法典中存在大量有关人身危险性内容的规定。然而 ,关于人身危险性的概念 ,我国刑法理论界鲜有详细、全面的论述。从存在论与价值论相结合的角度看 ,人身危险性是由行为人特定人格决定的犯罪可能性或者再犯可能性 ,是特定人格事实和规范评价的统一 ;从这一概念出发 ,人身危险性具有多方面的特征     

人格刑法学的构想(上)

“人格刑法学”是在调和刑事古典学派和刑事近代学派的对立时提出的刑法理论。人格刑法学从相对自由的主体的人格出发把握刑法学中的人 ,根据构成要件该当性、违法性和责任三个要件的犯罪论体系 ,把责任作为犯罪论的核心和最后的犯罪要件 ,从行为责任和人格形成责任两个方面探讨人格责任论     

人格刑法学的构想(下)

“人格刑法学”是在调和刑事古典学派和刑事近代学派的对立时提出的刑法理论。人格刑法学从相对自由的主体的人格出发把握刑法学中的人 ,根据构成要件该当性、违法性和责任三个要件的犯罪论体系 ,把责任作为犯罪论的核心和最后的犯罪要件 ,从行为责任和人格形成责任两个方面探讨人格责任论     

时代呼唤统一的刑事责任能力鉴定标准

阐述了我国制定《精神障碍者刑事责任能力评定大纲》必要性、可行性和历史意义,对如何统一精神疾病刑事责任能力鉴定的评定标准,如何有利于同行专家和司法机关对司法精神病学鉴定结论可采信性的审查提出见解。     

刑事诉讼视野下的法医物证应用研究

法医物证在刑事诉讼中发挥着多种功能,但目前实践中对法医物证的有效发现、提取、保管、检验鉴定及应用的技术规范和证据规则尚不完善。本文从技术规范、诉讼程序以及证据应用的角度发掘法医物证应用的规律性内容,用以指导实践部门提高法医物证的发现、提取、检出的比率以及法医物证在刑事审判中的采用率及证明力,从而较好地解决定案证据的来源和案件事实的认定问题,并避免因法医物证错用而导致的错案。     

General and maladaptive traits and anger in a combined forensic psychiatric and general population sample

The present study examines the associations between anger and general and maladaptive traits in a combined forensic psychiatric and community sample of men. Thirty-four male forensic psychiatric patients and 219 men from the general population completed the Novaco Anger Scale (NAS; Novaco, 1994), the NEO-PI-R (Costa & McCrae, 1992), the ADP-IV (Schotte & De Doncker, 1994) and the VKP (Duijsens, Haringsma, & EurelingsBontekoe, 1999) at two measurement occasions with a one-year interval. The results of a series of multiple regression analyses showed that general and maladaptive traits accounted for a substantial amount of variance in anger scores. Neuroticism, Agreeableness and Externalizing traits were most prominent in the prediction of anger, while Conscientiousness was acting as a suppressor variable in the regression models. Strengths and limitations of the present study and implications for further research and clinical practice are discussed.     

Forensic mental health assessment in France: Recommendations for quality improvement

The quality of forensic mental health assessment has been a growing concern in various countries on both sides of the Atlantic, but the legal systems are not always comparable and some aspects of forensic assessment are specific to a given country. This paper describes the legal context of forensic psychological assessment in France (i.e. pre-trial investigation phase entrusted to a judge, with mental health assessment performed by preselected professionals called “experts” in French), its advantages and its pitfalls. Forensic psychiatric or psychological assessment is often an essential and decisive element in criminal cases, but since a judiciary scandal which was made public in 2005 (the Outreau case) there has been increasing criticism from the public and the legal profession regarding the reliability of clinical conclusions. Several academic studies and a parliamentary report have highlighted various faulty aspects in both the judiciary process and the mental health assessments. The heterogeneity of expert practices in France appears to be mainly related to a lack of consensus on several core notions such as mental health diagnosis or assessment methods, poor working conditions, lack of specialized training, and insufficient familiarity with the Code of Ethics. In this article we describe and analyze the French practice of forensic psychologists and psychiatrists in criminal cases and propose steps that could be taken to improve its quality, such as setting up specialized training courses, enforcing the Code of Ethics for psychologists, and calling for consensus on diagnostic and assessment methods.     

Forensic psychiatry in China

This article reviews the legal basis for the development of forensic psychiatry in China, the organization of clinical assessments, and training of forensic psychiatrists. Regulations for the management of patients in Ankang hospitals and the role of forensic psychiatrists within the Criminal Justice system are described. The primary role of forensic psychiatrists is to provide expert opinions on competence to stand trial and criminal responsibility in criminal cases. They are increasingly involved in civil court proceedings and tribunals at the request of a range of official agencies. The clinical cases assessed by Chinese forensic psychiatrists are very similar to those of their counterparts in Western countries, but the organizational and legal framework for these assessments reflects a very different system that has evolved independently.     

刑事责任能力鉴定的资料来源及其影响因素分析

为明确刑事责任能力鉴定中的举证责任和影响刑事责任能力的因素,采用分层抽样和SPSS软件包对281例刑事责任能力鉴定的资料进行统计分析。鉴定依据的资料主要来自公安局（82．2％）,被鉴定人（98．22％）和亲属、同事、邻居（98．58％）。多元回归分析显示标准回归系数为：精神病性症状0．2878,操作智商0．2149,诱发事件0．2026,作案动机0．1873,言语智商0．1540。分权证明：我省刑事责任能力鉴定的举证责任是由多方共同承担。对刑事责任能力鉴定影响最大的是精神病性症状,其次是操作智商、诱发事件,再次是作案动机和言语智商。     

颅脑损伤与人格障碍的关系研究

目的　为探讨颅脑损伤与人格改变的相互关系 ,特别是颅脑损伤的严重程度与人格改变的严重程度是否平行 ,为颅脑损伤的法医学鉴定提供科学依据。方法　对 1 97例颅脑损伤鉴定案例及住院病例进行分析 ,并对其中伴有人格改变的案例的颅脑损伤严重程度和人格改变的严重程度的相关性和其他影响因素进行分析。结果　 1 97例颅脑损伤中有 1 6 2例出现人格改变 ,占 82 3% ;其中在 1 1 3例中的重度颅脑损伤案例中 ,有 98例伴有人格改变 ,占 86 7% ;其中衰弱型人格改变与攻击型人格改变之比为 6 3:35 ;在 84例轻微颅脑损伤病例中 ,有 6 4例伴有人格改变 ,占 76 2 % ,衰弱型与攻击型之比为 4 0 :2 4 ;2 3例女性患者有 1 7例出现人格改变 ,衰弱型与攻击型之比为 1 3:4。结论　颅脑损伤的严重程度与人格改变的严重程度无相关性 ,轻微颅脑损伤所引起的严重攻击型人格改变是法医精神病学鉴定中的特殊课题     

Psychiatrists,criminals, and the law: Forensic psychiatry in Switzerland 1850–1950

Between 1880 and 1950, Swiss psychiatrists established themselves as experts in criminal courts. In this period, the judicial authorities required psychiatric testimonies in a rising number of cases. As a result, more offenders than ever before were declared mentally deficient and, eventually, sent to psychiatric asylums. Psychiatrists also enhanced their authority as experts at the political level. From the very beginning, they got involved in the preparatory works for a nationwide criminal code. In this article, I argue that these trends toward medicalization of crime were due to incremental processes, rather than spectacular institutional changes. In fact, Swiss psychiatrists gained recognition as experts due to their daily interactions with judges, public prosecutors, and legal counsels. At the same time, the spread of medical expertise had serious repercussions on psychiatric institutions. From 1942 onwards, asylums had to deal with a growing number of “criminal psychopaths,” which affected ward discipline and put psychiatry's therapeutic efficiency into question. The defensive way in which Swiss psychiatrists reacted to this predicament was crucial to the further development of forensic psychiatry. For the most part, it accounts for the subdiscipline's remarkable lack of specialization until the 1990s.     

精神分裂症患者的犯罪学特征与刑事责任能力的关系

目的探讨精神分裂症患者的犯罪学特征与刑事责任能力的关系。方法采用自行编制的司法精神病学鉴定案例登记量表,对133例精神分裂症涉嫌犯罪者的资料进行收集、整理、归纳。然后对其犯罪学特征与责任能力的关系做相关分析。结果精神分裂症患者涉嫌犯罪案件类型中,以暴力案件为主,依次为凶杀68例(51.1%)、伤害38例(28.6%)、纵火9例(6.8%)、抢劫4例(3.0%)、性犯罪3例(2.3%)。不同责任能力与犯罪相关因素的统计分析发现:诱发事件(χ2=91.779,P=0.000)、双方关系(χ2=76.449,P=0.000)、作案动机(χ2=11.9,P=0.001)、作案前准备(χ2=110.623,P=0.000)、自称遗忘(χ2=34.274,P=0.000)、作案后反应(χ2=110.923,P=0.000)、案件类型(χ2=38.638,P=0.000)有显著性差异。结论无责任能力的分裂症患者作案具有动机不明、无预谋、不分对象、不分场合、突发性、盲目性、残忍性等特点。无责任能力组和部分责任能力组的犯罪学因素中诱发事件、双方关系、作案动机、作案前准备、自称遗忘、作案后反应、案件类型有显著性差异,可作为责任能力评定的参考因素。     

中国“罪犯DNA数据库”STR基因座研究

选择合适的 STR基因座 ,建立中国“罪犯 DNA数据库”模式库。以 2 2 11名汉族、15 0名维吾尔族、10 4名回族群体为分析对象 ,提取罪犯血样 DNA,用复合 PCR和四色荧光技术检测了 D3S135 8、v WA、FGA、D8S1179、D2 1S11、D18S5 1、D5 S818、D13S317、D16 S5 39、TH0 1、TPOX、CSF1PO、D7S82 0等 13个 STR基因座及性别 Amelogenin基因座。在 13个 STR基因座中 ,除 TH0 1、TPOX基因座外 ,其余各基因座的个体鉴别能力 (DP)值均接近 0 .9,杂合度(H)均大于 0 .7,排除概率 (PE)大都在 0 .5以上 ,其中 FGA、D8S1179、D2 1S11和 D18S5 1基因座 DP≥ 0 .95 ,H≥ 0 .85 ,PE≥ 0 .6 5 ,表明它们在法医学上极有应用价值。TH0 1和 TPOX在多态性方面较差 (H分别为 0 .6 430和 0 .6 2 96 ,PE分别为0 .40 46和 0 .370 1) ,但也符合应用于法医学的要求。13个基因座的平均偶合率为 5× 10 - 1 5 ～ 1.2× l0 - 1 4 ,适合作为中国人群的遗传学标志 ,用于建立中国“罪犯 DNA数据库”