RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Forensic Evaluations for Offenders With Dementia in Taiwan's Criminal Courts
JF Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
JO J Am Acad Psychiatry Law
FD American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
SP 45
OP 51
VO 46
IS 1
A1 Hui-Yi Wang
A1 Jiun-Hsiung Chen
A1 San-Yuan Huang
A1 Hui-Wen Yeh
A1 Wei-Chung Mao
A1 Hsin-An Chang
A1 Yu-Chen Kao
A1 Chin-Bin Yeh
A1 Yu-Ching Chou
A1 Wei-Shan Chiang
A1 Nian-Sheng Tzeng
YR 2018
UL http://jaapl.org/content/46/1/45.abstract
AB Dementia is an increasing world-wide health problem, and the association between dementia and adjudication of crimes has rarely been studied. The data in this study are described and analyzed by gender, psychiatric diagnosis, type of crime, and the acceptance rate by the courts of opinions tendered by forensic psychiatric examiners. The source data are derived from the databank of the Judicial Yuan (Judicial Department) of the Republic of China Law and Regulations Retrieval System. There was a male predominance of 85.1 percent. Larceny (42.6%) was the most frequent crime. There was also a high judicial acceptance rate of 91.5 percent of the professional opinions received from forensic psychiatric evaluators who examined defendants at the request of the courts. Psychiatrists play an important role in providing their professional opinions for the Taiwanese courts with regard to adjudication of evaluees with dementia. Most courts accepted psychiatrists' professional opinions about offenders with dementia, and the rate of acceptance was reflected in the judicial rulings of criminal responsibility.