Criminal insanity and psychiatric diagnoses in Greek penal cases

Abstract

Introduction

To our knowledge, few studies address the issue of criminal responsibility among psychiatric offenders. In Greece, articles 34 and 36 of the penal code regulate criminal insanity and diminished responsibility, respectively.

Objectives

The objective of the present study was to provide psychiatric/legal data considering the appeal to articles 34/36 of the Greek penal code.

Methods

Legal case files of 100 adult subjects, 90 male/10 female, 88 Greeks/12 foreigners were examined.

Results

According to the first degree court, one defendant was found criminally insane, 29 with partial responsibility, while the rest were regarded as fully capable. The decisions of the court of appeal/the supreme court of appeal were 2 criminally insane, 36 partially responsible and 62, fully criminally responsible. The decisions were unanimous in 78% of the cases.

The most common diagnoses were schizophrenia spectrum psychosis (18%), antisocial/borderline/mixed personality disorder (15%) and substance use disorder (15%). Court decisions of criminal insanity/diminished responsibility were higher when the perpetrator had an Axis I diagnosis (47.5%), significantly lower in cases of personality disorder (22.2%) and even lower in cases of substance use disorder (16.7%). In patients with prior hospitalizations the percentage of criminal insanity/diminished responsibility was 55.6%, significantly higher than in cases without (24.4%).

Conclusions

Schizophrenia is the most common mental disorder correlated with offenders criminally insane/partially responsible, while a history of psychiatric hospitalization is a very strong positive predictive factor for the successful appeal of the aforementioned articles.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.