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Feola A, Ciamarra P, Mascolo P, De Simone M, Zangani P, Campobasso CP. Matricide and psychiatric evaluation: An update. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2023; 63:102258. [PMID: 37121195 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2023.102258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Matricide is an infrequent crime that has often raised to the suspicion that the offender could suffer from a pathological mental status. Although it is hard to establish a relationship between mental disorders and specific forms of homicide, several studies suggest that matricide offender frequently suffers from schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. Aim of the study was to review the literature in order to explore epidemiologic and psychiatric characteristics of matricide offenders with a focus on the cause of death and crime circumstances. According to the PRISMA statement, 16 out of 225 studies were included. Main findings were the following: 80 victims were reported in total, killed by 81 offenders. In one case two brothers were responsible for the matricide. 81.5% of the offenders were young males. The most represented psychiatric pattern of the offenders was schizophrenia and psychotic disorders (43.2%). 6.2% of victims had also psychiatric disorders. Sharp force injuries were the first cause of death (55%), followed by blunt trauma (15%) and asphyxia (15%). In 12% of cases overkilling was also reported. 13.6% of offenders were considered not guilty for reason of insanity while 25.9% of the offenders had diminished criminal responsibility. A case study of a young homicide offender suffering from personality disorder is reported. In this case the victim also suffered from psychiatric disorders and an overkilling occurred as she was stabbed multiple times post-mortem. In a second case of matricide, the victim was dismembered and the human remains were concealed in several plastic bags.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Feola
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Luciano Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Paola Ciamarra
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Luciano Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, Italy.
| | - Pasquale Mascolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Luciano Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Mariavictoria De Simone
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Luciano Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Pierluca Zangani
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Luciano Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Pietro Campobasso
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", via Luciano Armanni 5, 80138 Naples, Italy
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Moen M, Shon P. Attempted and Completed Parricides in South Africa, 1990-2019. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OFFENDER THERAPY AND COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY 2021; 65:1097-1117. [PMID: 32552250 DOI: 10.1177/0306624x20928023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies of parricide have been carried out predominantly in a Western context, in North America, Australia, and Western Europe. To date, only a handful of studies in parricide have been conducted in continental Africa. Previous studies in Ghana and Zimbabwe note that there may be culture-specific ways in which parricides may be shaped by the norms and cultural beliefs systems within those respective countries. Missing from the literature is an examination of parricides in South Africa. Using newspapers and court records, this article examines the offense and offender characteristics of parricides in South Africa. Our findings suggest that residential patterns of families may shape the offense characteristics found in South African parricides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Moen
- University of Pretoria, South Africa
- University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Canada
| | - Phillip Shon
- University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Canada
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Trotta S, Mandarelli G, Ferorelli D, Solarino B. Patricide and overkill: a review of the literature and case report of a murder with Capgras delusion. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2020; 17:271-278. [PMID: 32946065 PMCID: PMC8119279 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-020-00314-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Despite being an infrequent crime, parental homicide has been associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in adult perpetrators and a history of child abuse and family violence in adolescent perpetrators. Among severe psychiatric disorders there is initial evidence that delusional misidentification might also play a role in parricide. Parricides are often committed with undue violence and may result in overkill. The authors present the case of an adult male affected by schizoaffective disorder and Capgras syndrome who committed patricide. Forensic pathologists classify such cases as overkill by multiple fatal means comprising stabbing, blunt trauma and choking. Accurate crime scene investigations coupled with psychiatric examinations of perpetrator allow reconstruction of the murder stages. This overkill case is discussed in the context of a broad review of the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Trotta
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine (DIM), Policlinico di Bari Hospital, University of Bari, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy.
| | - Gabriele Mandarelli
- Section of Criminology and Forensic Psychiatry, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine (DIM), University of Bari, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Davide Ferorelli
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine (DIM), Policlinico di Bari Hospital, University of Bari, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
| | - Biagio Solarino
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine (DIM), Policlinico di Bari Hospital, University of Bari, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124, Bari, Italy
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Lovett A, Kwon HR, Kidia K, Machando D, Crooks M, Fricchione G, Thornicroft G, Jack HE. Mental health of people detained within the justice system in Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Ment Health Syst 2019; 13:31. [PMID: 31080500 PMCID: PMC6501291 DOI: 10.1186/s13033-019-0273-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Worldwide, people with mental disorders are detained within the justice system at higher rates than the general population and often suffer human rights abuses. This review sought to understand the state of knowledge on the mental health of people detained in the justice system in Africa, including epidemiology, conditions of detention, and interventions. We included all primary research studies examining mental disorders or mental health policy related to detention within the justice system in Africa. 80 met inclusion criteria. 67% were prevalence studies and meta-analysis of these studies revealed pooled prevalence as follows: substance use 38% (95% CI 26-50%), mood disorders 22% (95% CI 16-28%), and psychotic disorders 33% (95% CI 28-37%). There were only three studies of interventions. Studies examined prisons (46%), forensic hospital settings (37%), youth institutions (13%), or the health system (4%). In 36% of studies, the majority of participants had not been convicted of a crime. Given the high heterogeneity in subpopulations identified in this review, future research should examine context and population-specific interventions for people with mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aish Lovett
- Harvard College, 28 Fernald Drive, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
| | - Hye Rim Kwon
- Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, Camberwell, London, SE5 8AB UK
| | - Khameer Kidia
- Kushinga, 8 Collina Close, Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115 USA
| | - Debra Machando
- Kushinga, 8 Collina Close, Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Zimbabwe, 630 Churchill Avenue, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Megan Crooks
- The Ulster Hospital, Upper Newtownards Road, Dundonald, Belfast, BT16 1RH UK
| | - Gregory Fricchione
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114 USA
| | - Graham Thornicroft
- Centre for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Helen E. Jack
- Kushinga, 8 Collina Close, Borrowdale, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Centre for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195 USA
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De Borba-Telles LE, Menelli-Goldfeld PR, Soares-Barros AJ, Schwengber HE, Peres-Day V, De Moraes-Costa G. Is parricide a stable phenomenon? An analysis of parricide offenders in a forensic hospital. REVISTA DE LA FACULTAD DE MEDICINA 2017. [DOI: 10.15446/revfacmed.v65n1.58829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Introducción. Estudios anteriores demuestran que la enfermedad mental severa es frecuente entre los parricidas.Objetivo. Investigar las características psiquiátricas y sociodemográficas, los métodos de asesinato y los antecedentes penales de criminales acusados de parricidio remitidos a un centro de salud mental forense en Brasil.Materiales y métodos. La muestra estuvo constituida por todos los pacientes acusados de parricidio que contaban con asistencia psiquiátrica en el Instituto Psiquiátrico Forense Dr. Maurício Cardoso. Se realizó un análisis transversal de las variables sociodemográficas de los parricidas y sus víctimas, las características del crimen y el diagnóstico psiquiátrico.Resultados. La mayoría de parricidas eran jóvenes (29.2±9.4) con bajo nivel de educación (5.4±3.9); 100% eran varones adultos, 94.4% solteros y 77.8% no tenía antecedentes penales. Todos los delincuentes actuaron solos, en su mayoría en contra de personas mayores (63.3±13.2) y en casa de sus padres (83.3%). Solo uno utilizó arma de fuego; 10 eran patricidas y 6 matricidas, 1 asesinó a su padrastro y 1 cometió doble parricidio. Tras cometer el asesinato, 27.8% trató de escapar de la escena del crimen. La mayoría de los condenados sufrían esquizofrenia (61.1%) o personalidad antisocial (16.7%).Conclusiones. El patrón observado en relación con las características de uso de armas, víctima y asesino es consistente con investigaciones previas, lo que permite concluir que este fenómeno es relativamente estable y homogéneo. Se debe garantizar evaluación psiquiátrica forense a quienes hayan cometido parricidio, dada la alta prevalencia de enfermedad mental en estos individuos.
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Parricide cases of adult offenders from Turkey: A descriptive study. J Forensic Leg Med 2016; 39:151-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2016.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Revised: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Raymond S, Léger AS, Lachaux B. A descriptive and follow-up study of 40 parricidal patients hospitalized in a French secure unit over a 15-year period. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW AND PSYCHIATRY 2015; 41:43-49. [PMID: 25910927 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2015.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Parricide is rare and represents 3% of all homicides in France, and 4% of resolved homicides in North America. Consequently, related international literature is sparse, especially concerning the evolution of offenders, and most studies concern small samples or anecdotal cases. We wished to identify the main characteristics of parricidal subjects and their victims, and to assess the socioclinical evolution of the offenders after the assault. To this end, we first studied the sociodemographic, clinical and forensic characteristics of all parricidal patients admitted to France's Henri Colin secure unit between 1996 and 2010 (40 patients). We also assessed the evolution of the 36 patients who had left the secure unit, using questionnaires sent to the psychiatric hospitals where the patients were transferred. We found most offenders to be men (97.5%), with a mean age of 28 years, who were mostly single, unemployed, living with the victim prior to the assault (77.5%), and with a history of psychiatric disorder (72.5%). The population of offenders also displayed an overrepresentation of schizophrenia (87.5%), significant toxic exposure and criminal or violent history. Some patients had attempted suicide before or right after the offense. The assault was mostly committed in the parent's house with an edged weapon, and was characterized by brutality and lack of premeditation. Precipitating factors included substance use and cessation of psychotropic medication. Matricide was more frequent than patricide. At the time of this study, half of the parricidal patients were working or attending therapeutic activities, and most were actively keeping in contact with their family, living as compliant outpatients with no signs of violent behavior. The results of our study on 40 parricidal patients are consistent with data in the literature. With regard to sample evolution, family and community reintegration was relatively effective considering the seriousness of the offense. Several biases in our study disallow the generalization of these findings, and further studies are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Raymond
- UMD Henri Colin, EPS Paul Guiraud, Villejuif, France.
| | - A S Léger
- UMD Henri Colin, EPS Paul Guiraud, Villejuif, France
| | - B Lachaux
- UMD Henri Colin, EPS Paul Guiraud, Villejuif, France
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