Naslov
The criminal responsibility of high-functioning autistic offenders in Croatia

Autori
Bošnjak, Mladen ; Jurjako, Marko ; Malatesti, Luca

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, znanstveni

Skup
Summer School "Equality and Citizenship" 2022: Workshop: Mental disorders, public justification, and values

Mjesto i datum
Rijeka, Hrvatska, 21.07.2022. - 22.07.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Radionica

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
High functioning autism ; Cognitive and volitional capacities ; Criminal responsibility ; Executive functions ; Duress Sažetak

Sažetak
This paper investigates, from a philosophical perspective, whether offenders who are high functioning autists are legally responsible for their crimes. We do this from the perspective of the Croatian legal system. According to the Croatian Criminal Law, but also criminal laws adopted in many other countries, the legal responsibility of the person is undermined due to insanity when two conditions are satisfied. The first can be called the incapacity requirement. It states that a person, when committing the crime, suffers cognitive or volitional incapacities or limited capacities that are relevant for exculpation. The second, let us call it the mental disorder requirement, states that these exculpatory incapacities are due to the presence of a mental disorder. In this paper we focus on the incapacity requirement. The review of the studies on executive functions deficits associated with high-functioning autism suggests that many of them should not be held completely responsible for the crimes they might commit. Nonetheless, we argue that these impairments in executive functions generally do not provide complete excuse.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filozofija

POVEZANOST RADA