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Psychopathy and Criminal Law: Preface

Artikkelit 20.3.2014, Asiantuntija-artikkeli

The article ventures – with due caution – the view that recent advances in neuroscience concerning the physical basis of psychopathy allow the possibility of considering certain forms of this condition to be grounds for eliminating accountability, thus removing culpability. For that purpose, the author offers a very brief lay compendium of what seems to be the standard definition of psychopathy and make a few speculations about the possible consequences for criminal litigation deriving from current neuroscientific research. On this basis, we could formulate the above-mentioned theory: at least in some cases, psychopathy will eliminate accountability in the not too far distant future.

The text has been drawn up within the Framework of the research projects "Avances en Neurociencias y Responsabilidad Jurídico-penal" and "Neurociencias y Derecho penal: nuevas perspectivas en el ámbito de la culpabilidad y del tratamiento jurídico-penal de la peligrosidad" and is an extended version of the presentations given in the “Universitat de Barcelona” (1.10.2010),“Universidad Autónoma de Madrid” (28.6.2011), “Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha” (Toledo, 30.9.2011), Bonn University (9.12.2011) and “Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona” (13.11.2012).

Asiasanat
• Kriminologia - Mielenterveys - Rikoksentekijä - Syyntakeisuus