health law and bio ethics prof. dr. helena pereira de melo medical causes of criminal behaviour 2º...

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Health Law and Bio Ethics

Prof. Dr. Helena Pereira de Melo

Medical Causes of Criminal Behaviour

2º CICLO – ANO LECTIVO 2013/2014

ANGELICA SCHMIDT - Nº 003904

Lisboa, 30 de avril de 2014

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Agenda

Implications for health law: Discussion

Medical research on criminal behaviour today

Medical research on criminal behaviour then

Criminological Basics

30.04.2014 - Medical Causes of Criminal Behaviour

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Criminological Basics (1/2): Definition of

Criminology• Causes, control and prevention of criminal behavior

both for individuals and society

• Interdisciplinary field in behavioral sciences, focussing on the research of sociology, psychology, psychatry, social anthropolgy as well as on writings in law

• Areas of research: forms, causes and consequences of crime, social and governmental regulations and reaction to crime

• Victiminology


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Criminological Basics (2/2): Most popular

theories

• Subcultural Theory• Ecological Approaches• Theory of cultural conflicts• Frustration-Aggression-Hypothesis• Control Theory• Psychologic and socialpsychologic theories• Medical theories


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Agenda






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• Cesare Lombroso (1883 – 1909): Types of criminals

• Ernst Kretschmer (1888 – 1964): Somatotypology

• Joseph Gall (1758 – 1828): Craniology

• Johannes Langes (1891 – 1923): Twin research

Medical Research then (1/7):

Famous Representatives


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• „L’uomo delinquente“ (1876): „born criminal“

• Pathologic and deviant characteristics of criminals

• Criminals as a primitive humans: „Degeneration-Stigmata“

• Demand: abolition of criminal liability

Medical Research then (2/7): Lombroso


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"Physique and Character" (1921): Development of specific body types

• Leptosome (thin: tends to offenses against property)

• Pyknic (thickish, prone to fraud)

• Athletic (muscular, prone to violent offenses)


Kretschmer


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Leptosom e Pyknic Athlete

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Kretschmer


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• Founder of phrenology and skull research

• Localization of mental skills and character traits in certain brain areas

• Altered brain regions can cause personality changes or provoke violent criminal behaviour

Medical Research then (5/7): Gall


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.


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• "Crime as Destiny" (1929)

• Assumption: chromosome abnormalities of violence criminals

• „Murderer-chromosome“ (XYY-Chromosome-Aberration)

• „Klinefelt-Syndrome“ (XXY-Chromosome-Aberration)

• Influence on genetics and chromosome-research

Medical Research then (6/7): Langes


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• Very poor methodology

• Empirically research results are not justifiable

Negative: conservative and repressive explanations, racial politics

Positive: impulses for today's medical research


Critique


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Agenda






I Biological causes II Psychological causes

a)Prenatal Influencesb)ADHDc) Sex/Genderd)Bio-chemical

processes e)Nutritionf) Brainfunction

a) Intoxication & Drugsb)Bipolar Personality

Disorder c) Schizophreniad)Organic brain

damages

Medical Research today


• Stress, tobacco, drug or alcohol abuse (eg, fetal alcohol syndrome) leads to severe embryonic damage

• Consequence: antisocial behavior, character neuroses

• Other factors: negative environmental influences, cognitive-emotional development


Medical Research Today (1/10)

Prenatal Influences

• Aggression, impulsivity, "sensation-seeking“, lack of discipline, emotional instability

• Cause: neurobiological disorder, inactive neurotransmitter

• 30-50% with antisocial and aggressive behavior.

• Persons with ADHD show three times more delinquent behavior

Medical Research Today (2/10)ADHD


• Percentage of female and male suspects: 25.4% and 74.6%

• Women: Emotional control and lower degree of aggression

• Evidence of a correlation between pre-frontal brain complex and violent behavior in males only


Gender


Hormons (Androgens)

Sexual hormone Testosterone

Cortisol (Adrenal Cortex) Overproduction: Anxiety Underproduction:

„sensation-seeking“

Thyroid function Over/Underproduction:

Anxiety, restlessness

Neurotransmitter (Messengers)

Serotonine Deficiency causes violent or

aggressive behavior

Noradrenalin Causes Stress

„GABA“ Influences level of

aggression and anxiety


Bio-chemical Causes


• American Institute of Biosocial and Medical Research:o Correlation between poor nutrition and agressiono Metabolic disorders, poisoning and biochemical

malfunction

• University of Baltimore: o Correlation between sugar and refined

carbohydrates and behavioral problems o Sugar diet reduces violent behavior


Nutrition


• Limbic System (Affects and Emotions)o Hypothalamus, Amygdala, Hippocampus o If damaged: misjudgment and misinterpretation of

emotions, fear, anger

• Pre-frontal Cortex o Anger Management o circulatory disorder: increased aggressive behavior

Medical Research Today (6/10)Others


I Biological causes II Psychological causes

a)Prenatal Influencesb)ADHDc) Sex/Genderd)Biochemical processes e)Nutritionf) Brainfunction

a) Intoxiction & Drugsb)Bipolar Personality

Disorder c) Schizophreniad)Organic Braindamages


Medical Research Today

• Alcohol o Delirium: disinhibition, aggressive behavior o Detoxication: violence attacks o Sober alcoholics: irritability, impulsivity, isolation o 13.2% of all offenses under the influence of alcohol

• Drugs o Opiates: passive state o Psychostimulants: violent behavior possibleo Hallucinogens: panic attacks, psychosis, delusional states o Drug-related crimeso Overdose: aggression, irritation


Intoxication and Drugs


• Affective personality disorder

• Causes: o Lack of neurotransmitters: metabolic disturbances in the

brain o Alcohol and drugs increase symptoms

• No definite causal link between disease and (violent) criminal behavior



Bipolar Disorder

• Affective personality disorder

• Diverse symptoms: o Delusions, hallucinationso paranoid and schizoid personality disorders o personality changes o Hypersensitivity, nervousness, increased levels of

aggression

• In an acute psychosis: high violent potential



Shizophrenia

• acute brain disorders: o Encephalitiso Cerebral Hemorrage Unpredictable, aggressive, psychomotoric affective behaviour

• Case of Phineas Gage:o Injury prefrontal cortex o No intellectual, but emotional-affective personality changeso After the accident: reckless, carefree, aggressive behavior


Organic Brain Lesion


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Agenda






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• Neuro-scienceso Genetics and brain function do influence behaviour!o Doubts on individual freedom of choiceo Terms of guilt, liability and blame might loose their

meaning

• Consequences for penal law?o Elimination of guilt and liability? Elimination of

penalty?o Solution: protection to the public by medical

treatment of the patients?o problems?

Implications for health law (1/2)


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Implications for health law (2/2)

• Can people be accountable for their offenses?

• Do criminals have a personal responsibility?

• How to deal with criminals who have genetic, biologic or physic defects?

• How to deal with guilt and liability ?


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Q & A

Thanks for your attention!Any questions, remarks, comments?


health law and bio ethics prof. dr. helena pereira de melo medical causes of criminal behaviour 2º...

Documents

twin research medical

discussion medical research

research results

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law areas of research

criminological basics

health law

agenda implications