Insanity defense is sometimes invoked in criminal cases, and its demonstration is usually based on a multifactorial contribution of behavioural, clinical, and neurological elements. Neuro-radiological evidence of structural alterations in cerebral areas that involve decision‐making and moral reasoning is often accepted as a useful tool in these evaluations. On the other hand, the genetic predisposition to anti‐social behavior is still controversial. In this paper, we describe two cases of violent crimes committed by young carriers of genetic variants associated with personality disorder; both the defendants claimed to be insane at the time of the crime. We discuss these cases and review the scientific literature regarding the relationship between legal incapaci-ty/predisposition to criminal behavior and genetic mutations. In conclusion, despite some genetic variants being able to influence several cognitive processes (like moral judgement and impulse control), there is currently no evidence that carriers of these mutations are, per se, incapable of intentionally committing crimes.

Forensic value of genetic variants associated with anti‐social behavior / Oliva A.; Grassi S.; Zedda M.; Molinari M.; Ferracuti S.. - In: DIAGNOSTICS. - ISSN 2075-4418. - ELETTRONICO. - 11:(2021), pp. 2386-2396. [10.3390/diagnostics11122386]

Forensic value of genetic variants associated with anti‐social behavior

Grassi S.
;
2021

Abstract

Insanity defense is sometimes invoked in criminal cases, and its demonstration is usually based on a multifactorial contribution of behavioural, clinical, and neurological elements. Neuro-radiological evidence of structural alterations in cerebral areas that involve decision‐making and moral reasoning is often accepted as a useful tool in these evaluations. On the other hand, the genetic predisposition to anti‐social behavior is still controversial. In this paper, we describe two cases of violent crimes committed by young carriers of genetic variants associated with personality disorder; both the defendants claimed to be insane at the time of the crime. We discuss these cases and review the scientific literature regarding the relationship between legal incapaci-ty/predisposition to criminal behavior and genetic mutations. In conclusion, despite some genetic variants being able to influence several cognitive processes (like moral judgement and impulse control), there is currently no evidence that carriers of these mutations are, per se, incapable of intentionally committing crimes.
2021
11
2386
2396
Oliva A.; Grassi S.; Zedda M.; Molinari M.; Ferracuti S.
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in FLORE sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/1261481
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 3
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 2
social impact