The risk of criminal behavior in the elderly and patients with neurodegenerative disease

Naomi Prent, Frank A. Jonker, Sigfried N. T. M. Schouws, Cees Jonker

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Behavioral changes are commonly observed in patients with dementia and can lead to criminal offenses, even without a history of criminal or antisocial behavior. Due to the growth of the aging population, this poses a rising problem to deal with for the criminal justice system and in general for society. Criminal behavior may include minor crimes such as theft or traffic violations, but also serious crimes such as physical abuse, sexual offense, or murder. In the assessment of criminal behavior among elderly (first-time) offenders, it is important to be aware of possible neurodegenerative diseases at the time of the crime. This book chapter provides an overview on criminal behavior in the elderly and specifically discusses existing literature on patients suffering from a neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson disease, and Huntington disease. Each section is introduced by a true case to illustrate how the presence of a neurodegenerative disease may affect the criminal judgment. The chapter ends with a summary, multifactorial model of crime risk, future perspectives, and concluding remarks.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook of Clinical Neurology
PublisherElsevier B.V
Pages181-196
Number of pages16
Volume197
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2023

Publication series

NameHandbook of Clinical Neurology
Volume197

Keywords

  • Aging
  • Alzheimer disease
  • Crime
  • Criminal behavior
  • Elderly offenders
  • Frontotemporal dementia
  • Huntington disease
  • Neurodegenerative disease
  • Parkinson disease
  • Vascular dementia

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