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Parmigiani G, Mandarelli G, Roma P, Ferracuti S. Validation of a new instrument to guide and support insanity evaluations: the defendant's insanity assessment support scale (DIASS). Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:115. [PMID: 35318308 PMCID: PMC8941181 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01871-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The insanity defense represents one of the most controversial and debated evaluations performed by forensic psychiatrists and psychologists. Despite the variation among different jurisdictions, in Western countries, the legal standards for insanity often rely on the presence of cognitive and/or volitional impairment of the defendant at the time of the crime. We developed the defendant's insanity assessment support scale (DIASS) based on a wide view of competent decision-making, which reflects core issues relevant to legal insanity in many jurisdictions. To assess the characteristics of the DIASS we asked 40 forensic experts (16% women; years of experience = 20.6 ± 12.9) to evaluate 10 real-life derived forensic cases with the DIASS; cases included defendants' psychiatric symptom severity, evaluated through the 24-itemBrief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Exploratory factor analysis by principal axis factoring was conducted, which disclosed a two-factor solution explaining 57.6% of the total variance. The DIASS showed a good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86), and substantial inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa = 0.72). The capacities analyzed through the DIASS were mainly affected by mania/excitement and psychotic dimensions in nonresponsible and with substantially diminished responsibility defendants, while by hostility and negative symptoms in responsible defendants. The DIASS proved to be an effective psychometric tool to guide and structure insanity defense evaluations, in order to improve their consistency and reliability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Parmigiani
- Department of Human Neurosciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Gabriele Mandarelli
- grid.7644.10000 0001 0120 3326Section of Criminology and Forensic Psychiatry, University of Bari, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Bari, Italy
| | - Paolo Roma
- grid.7841.aDepartment of Human Neurosciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Ferracuti
- grid.7841.aDepartment of Human Neurosciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Parmigiani G, Mandarelli G, Meynen G, Carabellese F, Ferracuti S. Translating clinical findings to the legal norm: the Defendant's Insanity Assessment Support Scale (DIASS). Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:278. [PMID: 31699969 PMCID: PMC6838307 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0628-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Insanity definition and the threshold for satisfying its legal criteria tend to vary depending on the jurisdictions. Yet, in Western countries, the legal standards for insanity often rely on the presence of cognitive and/or volitional impairment of the defendant at crime time. Despite some efforts having been made to guide and structure criminal responsibility evaluations, a valid instrument that could be useful to guide forensic psychiatrists' criminal responsibility assessments in different jurisdictions is lacking. This is a gap that needs to be addressed, considering the significant forensic and procedural implications of psychiatric evaluations. In addition, differences in methodology used in insanity assessments may also have consequences for the principle of equal rights for all citizens before the law, which should be guaranteed in the European Union. We developed an instrument, the Defendant's Insanity Assessment Support Scale (DIASS), which can be useful to support, structure, and guide the insanity assessment across different jurisdictions, in order to improve reliability and consistency of such evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Parmigiani
- Department of Human Neurosciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Gabriele Mandarelli
- Department of Human Neurosciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Section of Criminology and Forensic Psychiatry, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Bari, Italy
| | - Gerben Meynen
- Willem Pompe Institute for Criminal Law and Criminology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Humanities, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Felice Carabellese
- Section of Criminology and Forensic Psychiatry, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Bari, Italy
| | - Stefano Ferracuti
- Department of Human Neurosciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Breitschuh S, Schöne M, Tozzi L, Kaufmann J, Strumpf H, Fenker D, Frodl T, Bogerts B, Schiltz K. Aggressiveness of martial artists correlates with reduced temporal pole grey matter concentration. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2018; 281:24-30. [PMID: 30216861 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Perception and practice of violence have hedonistic aspects associated with positive arousal (appetitive aggression). Earlier studies have mainly investigated the aetiology of aggressive behaviour in forensic/psychiatric patients. The present study examined structural brain characteristics in healthy people practicing violent sports (martial artists) compared to controls not showing violent behaviour. Aggressiveness was assessed in 21 male healthy martial artists and 26 age-matched male healthy controls using the aggressivity factors questionnaire (FAF). Participants underwent structural T1-weighted MRI. Grey matter (GM) differences were analysed using voxel-based morphometry. Whole-brain analyses of the main effects of group and aggressiveness and their interaction were computed. An interaction effect between group and aggressiveness was evident in a brain cluster comprising the left temporal pole and left inferior temporal gyrus. In martial artists, aggressiveness was inversely related to mean GM concentration in this cluster while in controls the opposite pattern was evident. Since these temporal brain regions are relevant for emotion/aggression regulation and threat appraisal, the increased GM concentration in aggressive controls might reflect a stronger cognitive top-down inhibition of their aggressiveness. Lower GM concentration in more aggressive martial artists may indicate a reduced need of inhibitory cognitive control because of their improved self-regulation skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Breitschuh
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von- Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Salus-Institute, Salus gGmbH, 39116 Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - Maria Schöne
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von- Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Salus-Institute, Salus gGmbH, 39116 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Leonardo Tozzi
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von- Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Jörn Kaufmann
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hendrik Strumpf
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Daniela Fenker
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von- Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Frodl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von- Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto-von- Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Dublin 2, Ireland; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Site Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Bernhard Bogerts
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von- Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Salus-Institute, Salus gGmbH, 39116 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto-von- Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Kolja Schiltz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von- Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Psychiatric Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University, 80336 Munich, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto-von- Guericke-University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
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Scarpazza C, Pellegrini S, Pietrini P, Sartori G. The Role of Neuroscience in the Evaluation of Mental Insanity: on the Controversies in Italy. NEUROETHICS-NETH 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s12152-017-9349-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Ray L. Explaining Violence - Towards a Critical Friendship with Neuroscience? JOURNAL FOR THE THEORY OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jtsb.12102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Larry Ray
- SSPSSR; University of Kent; Canterbury CT2 7NF UK
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Leutgeb V, Wabnegger A, Leitner M, Zussner T, Scharmüller W, Klug D, Schienle A. Altered cerebellar-amygdala connectivity in violent offenders: A resting-state fMRI study. Neurosci Lett 2015; 610:160-4. [PMID: 26523791 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.10.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Revised: 10/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
It has repeatedly been reported, that there are differences in grey matter volume (GMV) between violent offenders and non-violent controls. However, it remains unclear, if structural brain abnormalities influence resting-state functional connectivity (RS-fc) between brain regions. Therefore, in the present investigation, 31 male high-risk violent prisoners were compared to 30 non-criminal controls with respect to RS-fc between brain areas. Seed regions for resting-state analysis were selected based on GMV differences between the two groups. Overall, inmates had more GMV in the cerebellum than controls and revealed higher RS-fc between the cerebellum and the amygdala. In contrast, controls relative to prisoners showed higher RS-fc between the cerebellum and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). In addition, controls showed more GMV in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Inmates relative to controls had higher RS-fc within the DLPFC. Results are discussed with respect to cerebellar contributions to a brain network underlying moral behavior and violence. Enhanced cerebellar-amygdala connectivity in violent offenders might reflect alterations in the processing of moral emotions. Heightened functional connectivity between cerebellar hemispheres and the OFC in controls could be a correlate of enhanced emotion regulation capacities. Higher functional intra-DLPFC connectivity in violent offenders might represent an effort to regulate emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Leutgeb
- Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, BioTechMedGraz, Universitätsplatz 2/DG, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Albert Wabnegger
- Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, BioTechMedGraz, Universitätsplatz 2/DG, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Mario Leitner
- Graz-Karlau State Correctional Facility, Herrgottwiesgasse 50, 8200 Graz, Austria
| | - Thomas Zussner
- Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, BioTechMedGraz, Universitätsplatz 2/DG, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Wilfried Scharmüller
- Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, BioTechMedGraz, Universitätsplatz 2/DG, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Doris Klug
- Graz-Karlau State Correctional Facility, Herrgottwiesgasse 50, 8200 Graz, Austria
| | - Anne Schienle
- Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, BioTechMedGraz, Universitätsplatz 2/DG, 8010 Graz, Austria
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Iofrida C, Palumbo S, Pellegrini S. Molecular genetics and antisocial behavior: where do we stand? Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2014; 239:1514-23. [PMID: 24764243 DOI: 10.1177/1535370214529508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last two decades, it has become increasingly evident that control of aggressive behavior is modulated by the individual genetic profile as well. Several candidate genes have been proposed to play a role in the risk to develop antisocial behavior, and distinct brain imaging studies have shown that specific cortical areas may be functionally and/or structurally impaired in impulsive violent subjects on the basis of their genotypes. In this paper, we review the findings regarding four polymorphisms-MAOA (Monoamine oxidase A) uVNTR, SLC6A4 (solute carrier family 6 (neurotransmitter transporter), member 4) 5HTTLPR, COMT (Catechol-O-methyltransferase) Val158Met and DRD4 (dopamine D4 receptor) VNTR 1-11-that all have been found to be associated with an increased vulnerability for antisocial and impulsive behavior in response to aversive environmental conditions. These results, however, have not been replicated by other studies, likely because of crucial methodological discrepancies, including variability in the criteria used to define antisocial behavior and assessment of environmental factors. Finally, it has been recently proposed that these genetic variants may actually increase the individual susceptibility not merely to the negative environmental factors, but to the positive ones as well. In this view, such alleles would play a wider modulatory role, by acting as "plasticity" rather than "vulnerability" genes. Overall, these findings have potential important implications that span well outside of neuroscience and psychiatry, to embrace ethics, philosophy, and the law itself, as they pose new challenges to the very notion of Free Will. Novel properly controlled studies that examine multi-allelic genetic profiles, rather than focusing on distinct single variants, will make it possible to achieve a clearer understanding of the molecular underpinnings of the nature by nurture interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Iofrida
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and of Critical Care, University of Pisa, Pisa I-56126, Italy
| | - Sara Palumbo
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and of Critical Care, University of Pisa, Pisa I-56126, Italy
| | - Silvia Pellegrini
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and of Critical Care, University of Pisa, Pisa I-56126, Italy
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Neurologic disorder and criminal responsibility. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2013. [PMID: 24182391 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-53501-6.00029-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Sufferers from neurologic and psychiatric disorders are not uncommonly defendants in criminal trials. This chapter surveys a variety of different ways in which neurologic disorder bears on criminal responsibility. It discusses the way in which a neurologic disorder might bear on the questions of whether or not the defendant acted voluntarily; whether or not he or she was in the mental state that is required for guilt for the crime; and whether or not he or she is deserving of an insanity defense. The discussion demonstrates that a just determination of whether a sufferer from a neurologic disorder is diminished in his or her criminal responsibility for harmful conduct requires equal appreciation of the nature of the relevant disorder and its impact on behavior, on the one hand, and of the legal import of facts about the psychologic mechanisms through which behavior is generated, on the other.
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Stradella E. Personal Liability and Human Free Will in the Background of Emerging Neuroethical Issues. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TECHNOETHICS 2012. [DOI: 10.4018/jte.2012040104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, the author analyses the issues connected to emerging neurotechnologies, in particular their effects on (legal) concepts like capacity, liability, testimony, and evidence, and also on fundamental constitutional rights and freedoms like the right to autonomy and the right not to be treated without consent (in the general framework of the principle of human dignity). Starting from preliminary remarks on the key-concepts of neuroethics/technoethics, neurolaw/technolaw, the author investigates how personal liability is changing in the framework of new scientific developments. The paper underlines that neurolaw challenges some of the traditional legal institutions in the field of law (e.g., criminal law). From the point of view of ethics, the paper concludes that neuroethics is not challenged by the data coming from the use of emerging neurotechnologies, but human self-perception is strongly affected by it.
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