Perfil clínico y delictivo de una muestra de reclusos inimputables de Portugal

Abstract

Criminal insanity is a person’s aptitude to respond for their acts, and it is evaluated through cognitive and volitional capacities. Having a powerful mental disorder or psychological illness to diminish or annul these capacities, could led to criminal insanity. On the other hand, researches have detected that the combination of delinquency and mental illness could derive in violent and serious crimes. The present investigation has analyzed 50 prison archives which correspond to inmates without responsible for insanity, to gather information about their criminal and clinical profile. They were incarcerated in the Prison of Santa Cruz do Bispo de Porto (Portugal). The results revealed that schizophrenia was the main diagnostic (70% of cases) for criminal insanity, and violent crimes against persons were superior in frequency contrary to other crimes. In this sense, 50% of inmates have been declared guilty for homicide or attempted homicide. To conclude, schizophrenia was the diagnostic more salient for not guilty people by reason of insanity, a psychotic disorder which affects to cognitive and volitional capacities. Furthermore, accordingly with previous investigations, a high frequency of serious and violent crimes has been confirmed.