OBJECTIVES: To explore the characteristics of schizophrenia patients' homicide behaviors and the influences of the assessments of criminal capacity. METHODS: Indicators such as demographic and clinical data, characteristics of criminal behaviors and criminal capacity from the suspects whom were diagnosed by forensic psychiatry as schizophrenia （n=110） and normal mental （n=70） with homicide behavior, were collected by self-made investigation form and compared. The influences of the assessments of criminal capacity on the suspects diagnosed as schizophrenia were also analyzed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: There were no significant statistical differences between the schizophrenic group and the normal mental group concerning age, gender, education and marital status （P>0.05）. There were significant statistical differences between the two groups concerning thought disorder, emotion state and social function before crime （P<0.05） and there were significant statistical differences in some characteristics of the case such as aggressive history （P<0.05）, cue, trigger, plan, criminal incentives, object of crime, circumstance cognition and self-protection （P<0.05）. Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that thought disorder, emotion state, social function, criminal incentives, plan and self-protection before crime of the schizophrenic group were positively correlated with the criminal capacity （P<0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The relevant influences of psychopathology and crime characteristics should be considered comprehensively for improving the accuracy of the criminal capacity evaluation on the suspects diagnosed as schizophrenia with homicide behavior.
Aggression/psychology* ; Crime ; Criminals ; Forensic Psychiatry ; Homicide/psychology* ; Humans ; Motivation ; Schizophrenia/diagnosis* ; Schizophrenic Psychology

OBJECTIVES: To explore the criminal characteristics of forensic psychiatry expertise in depression patients and schizophrenics with homicide behavior. METHODS: A total of 40 depression （depressive episode） patients and 50 schizophrenics with homicide behavior were randomly assigned into the study group and control group, respectively. Data of demographic and criminal characteristic of the two groups were collected by a self-designed questionnaire, and then were compared. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in age, education level and career between study and control groups （P>0.05）. Compared with the control group, the victims in the study group were mainly the patient's children and parents, and most offenders had suicidal behavior after homicide （70%）. In study group, the motives of crime were mainly extended suicide and indirect suicide, and most offenders had attempted suicide （85%） and diminished capacity of criminal responsibility （70%）, which in control group had no capacity of criminal responsibility （56%）. Except for criminal site, there were statistical differences in other criminal characteristics between two groups （P<0.05）. CONCLUSIONS There are different criminal characteristics between depression patients and schizophrenics with homicide behavior in forensic psychiatry, and these characteristics should be considered when these two diagnoses are distinguished in forensic psychiatry expertise.
Adult ; Child ; Criminals/psychology* ; Depression/psychology* ; Depressive Disorder ; Forensic Psychiatry ; Homicide/psychology* ; Humans ; Motivation ; Schizophrenia ; Schizophrenic Psychology ; Suicide/psychology* ; Suicide, Attempted

This study intends to evaluate usefulness of ABO gene in forensic identification. The genotype and allele frequency of ABO gene was investigated and the power of identification information of ABO gene was calculated. 100 unrelated Korean individuals were selected. DNA was extracted from sample and PCR and sequencing were performed to analyze sequence of exon 6 and exon 7 in ABO gene, the following results were obtained: 1. The polymorphic nucleotide positions of ABO gene are 216, 297 in exon 6 (2 positions) and 467, 526, 579, 646, 657, 681, 703, 771, 796, 803, 829, 930 in exon 7 (12 positions) in Korean. 2. Amomg Korean population, 18 ABO genotypes and 7 alleles were observed. O01 is most frequent (27.6%) and then A102 (22.0%), B101 (22.0%), O02 (21.0%). 3. In A type allele, the frequencies of A101 and A102 are 21.4%, 78.6% respectively. And in B type, B101 is 97.7%, the most part of them. In O type, O01 is 56.0%, O02 is 42.0% and O04 is 2.0%. 4. The observed heterozygosity and the expected heterozygosity is 0.670, 0.784 each. The polymorphism information content (PIC) is 0.744. The power of discrimination (PD) and the mean exclusion chance (MEC) are calculated to be 0.924 and 0.576. Based on the results of this study, the determination of ABO genotype by sequencing may be useful in forensic identification including finding an individual in relation to criminal case, paternity test, and confirming possible relationships between family members.
Alleles ; Criminals ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; DNA ; Exons ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Paternity ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis*

Allele-and genotype frequencies of the two short tandem repeat (STR) loci, HumFGA and D21S11, were determined in Korean population(n=196). DNA typing was accomplished by applying fluorescence-labeled PCR products and a differently labeled sequenced allelic ladders, followed by automated analysis using ABI 377 automatic sequencer and GeneScan 2.02 software. Prior to typing, allelic ladder of each locus was constructed with a combination of all alleles occuring from the population sample. A total of 15 alleles and 48 genotypes with the heterozygosity of 0.854 for HumFGA, and 12 alleles and 33 genotypes with the heterozygosity of 0.787 for D21S11 are observed in a population of 196 genetically unrelated individuals. No deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed(p=0.753 for HumFGA, p=0.262 for D21S11). The data presented here (power of discrimination and average power of exclusion) show that both STR Loci, HumFGA and D21S11, are very informative for individualization from criminal evidences, and are also useful for parentage testing.
Alleles* ; Criminals ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Gene Frequency* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate current circumstances of violence against wives, and to identify the wife's opinion of the spouse's punishment in domestic violence cases. METHOD: The subjects were 216 married women in G province. Data was gathered from November 22 to December 6, 2004. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, and the x2-test using SPSS/Win 10.0 program. RESULTS: About thirty six percent of the subjects had experience with domestic violence. There was a high prevalence of psychological aggression(68%), sexual coercion (36%), physical assault(31%), and injury(19%). The subjects experiencing domestic violence had a higher positive attitude towards the spouse's punishment than subjects not experiencing domestic violence. The more severe the domestic violence was, the more the battered women's positive attitude for criminal action increased. CONCLUSION: An educational program and public relations will increase women's empowerment to solve domestic violence. A more cooperative and integrative program for prevention and an intervention system against domestic violence should be developed for women in battered situations.
Coercion ; Criminals ; Domestic Violence* ; Female ; Humans ; Power (Psychology) ; Prevalence ; Public Relations ; Punishment* ; Spouses ; Violence

Objective To discuss the related factors influencing the initiation time of forensic psychiatric assessment by analysis of the initiation time of forensic psychiatric assessment of criminal cases in Hunan Province. Methods Related data in assessment files of criminal cases accepted by 8 forensic psychiatric assessment institutions in Hunan Province from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2016 were extracted. The Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors influencing the initiation time of forensic psychiatric assessment. After using property score matching （PSM） to control the influence of confounding factors, the efficiency of public security organs to initiate assessments of suspects with （without） mental disorders and with （without） responsibilities were compared. Results A total of 4 346 cases were included. The Logistic regression analysis suggested that the factors independently related to the initiation time of assessment include： cause of assessment, nationality of the assessed, history of diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses, history of crimes, history of drug abuse, and status of alcohol consumption before the crime （all P<0.05）. The initiation time of assessment of suspects diagnosed with mental disorder was shorter than those with none （P<0.05）; the initiation time of assessment of suspects without criminal responsibility was shorter than those with responsibility （P<0.05）. After using PSM to control confounding factors, the differences above still existed. Conclusion The cause of assessment, nationality of the assessed, history of diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses, history of crimes, history of drug abuse, and status of alcohol consumption before the crime are factors that influence the efficiency of public security organs to initiate forensic psychiatric assessments. Under the current assessment initiation mode, forensic psychiatric assessment of suspects who have mental disorders, especially those with no responsibility may be given priority to initiate.
Crime ; Criminals ; Forensic Psychiatry ; Humans ; Mental Disorders/psychology* ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales

OBJECTIVE: To study the personality traits of felons and their relevant factors, and to recommend for criminal psychological correction and crime prevention. METHODS: Using Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to test felons in initial and middle stage of sentence serving. RESULTS: The differences of MMPI factors between felon group and normal group were statistically significant (P < 0.001). The felon group's raw scores in F, Pd, Pa, Pt and Sc factors were significantly higher than those of the normal group. The felons whose T score of Pd was higher than that of the normal group by one standard deviation had the largest proportion. In subscales of F, Hs, D, Hy, Pd, Pa, Pt, Sc and Ma, the proportion of people whose T score higher than the normal was relatively large. The supernormal proportion in the two-point code type was large. CONCLUSION Felon group is a special group with high-risk personality disorder. It is important to take more correctional research on them.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Criminals/psychology* ; Forensic Psychiatry ; Humans ; MMPI ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Personality ; Personality Disorders/psychology* ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To understand the assessment on the criminal responsibility of drug-induced mental disorders and judicial experts' opinions. METHODS: The judicial experts from institutes of forensic psychiatry in Shanghai were selected. They were asked to finish a self-made questionnaire of assessment on the criminal responsibility of drug-induced mental disorders by letters and visits. RESULTS: Most of experts knew the special regulation, "not suitable for evaluation" towards the criminal responsibility of drug-induced mental disorders of the guideline promulgated by Ministry of Justice. Before and after the guideline was issued, no expert made a no-responsibility opinion in such cases. After the guideline was issued, some experts made a full-responsibility or limited-responsibility opinion in such cases. There was a little disagreement among the experts in the case that the crime was unrelated with mental symptoms or the criminals used drugs even though he knew it could induced insanity. But there were still many obvious disagreements among experts in the case that crime was related to such symptoms and person was no ability to debate. Most experts agreed to settle the disagreements with improved legislative perfection. CONCLUSION Most experts are not strictly complying with the assessment guidelines during their practice, and there is still an obvious disagreement towards the criminal responsibility of drug-induced mental disorders.
China ; Crime/psychology* ; Criminals/psychology* ; Data Collection ; Expert Testimony ; Forensic Psychiatry ; Humans ; Liability, Legal ; Male ; Mental Competency ; Mental Disorders/psychology* ; Psychotic Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Forty six patients (23 in-family and 23 out-family child sexual offenders) diagnosed with pedophilia participated in this study. For each patient, computerized objective data, obtained from the doctors, nurses, psychologists, and prosecutors involved, and the hospital information system, were collected. Immediately after the authors collected data that included any personal identifying information, it was replaced by random numbers to prevent bias and to protect privacy. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0 for MS Windows. Comparative items on demographic characteristics were evaluated by a paired t test and chi-square test. Out-family child sexual offenders were younger, assaulted younger victims, and possessed a higher sexual recidivism rate than in-family sexual offenders did (P<0.05). The four scales of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory showed a significant difference between in-family and out-family child sexual offenders. There was no statistically significant difference in the victim's gender and the incidence of comorbid psychiatric disease between in-family and out-family child sexual offenders.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Child* ; Criminals* ; Forensic Medicine ; Hospital Information Systems ; Humans ; Incidence ; MMPI* ; Pedophilia* ; Privacy ; Psychology ; Sex Offenses ; Weights and Measures

INTRODUCTIONIn Singapore, theft and related crimes constitute more than 50% of all reported crime, and are the most common offences committed by accused persons remanded to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Singapore. There is a need for better understanding of the forensic psychiatric aspects of such offenders. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among theft offenders remanded or referred for forensic assessment in 2010, compare the differences between first-time and repeat theft offenders, and identify the factors associated with reoffence.

METHODSForensic evaluations of inpatient and outpatient theft offenders that were conducted at IMH in the year 2010 were retrieved and reviewed. The sociodemographic and clinical data of first-time and repeat theft offenders were collected and compared using Student's t-test and chi-square test for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Multivariate regression was used to identify the factors that were predictive of repeat offence.

RESULTSOverall, 10% of offenders had no mental illness. Substance use disorders, mood disorders and psychotic disorders were the most common diagnoses. Psychotic disorders were significantly less common in repeat offenders. Repeat offenders also tended to have a history of conduct problems in childhood. Noncompliance with psychiatric treatment was positively associated with repeat offence, while psychotic disorders were negatively associated.

CONCLUSIONThe pattern of psychiatric morbidity among theft offenders in Singapore has changed over the last ten years. Kleptomania remains rare. Significant differences between first-time and repeat offenders have implications on the treatment, follow-up and rehabilitation of theft offenders in Singapore.

Adult ; Crime ; Criminals ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Disorders ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Psychiatry ; methods ; Singapore ; Substance-Related Disorders ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Theft