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Prevalence of Criminal Development in Perpetrators of Crimes Under the Age of 18, Studying Cases Referred to the Psychiatric Commission of the General Department of Forensic Medicine of North Khorasan, Iran Between 2022 and 2024
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Sajad Jafari1    , Seyed Arya Hejazi2 , Yoosof Noorai3 , Mohaddeseh Sadeghian Lemraski1 |
1- Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Gorgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Gorgan, Iran
2- Legal Medicine Research Center, Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran , Aryahedazi.research@gmail.com
3- Department of Law, Amol Branch, Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran |
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Abstract: (30 Views) |
Introduction: One of the most important issues raised in relation to children is the issue of developmental delay and the criteria for its determination. Certainly, the inadequacy of "age" as an accurate criterion for determining such a fact is a complex and multifaceted process that requires measuring the child in various psychological domains.
Methods: The present study is a descriptive and cross-sectional study that measures the level of criminal development in cognitive and psychological domains by examining all cases of offenders under the age of 18 referred to the North Khorasan Forensic Psychiatry Commission under the title "Criminal Development Assessment" over a three-year period.
Results: The results show that 74% of defendants under the age of 18 referred to the Mental Commission lacked criminal development, while 26% of these defendants had sufficient criminal development to be charged with a crime. It was also determined that of the defendants whose criminal development was not verified, 59% did not reach sufficient criminal development due to failure in the tests and interviews taken in the cognitive domain, and 41% of them failed the psychological tests due to failure in their development.
Conclusion: What is clear and evident from the examination of the aforementioned issue is the lack of proper functioning of the age criterion for determining the criminal maturity of children, as 26% of those introduced to the commission, although they had not yet reached the age of 18, were mature enough to be charged with criminal behavior. Another result of the study is the prevalence of crime among male children compared to female children, which reinforces the need for preventive measures against this gender (males).
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| Keywords: Criminal growth, Criminals, Forensic medicine |
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Type of Article: Brief Report |
Subject:
Crime and Penalty
Received: 2025/07/15 | Revised: 2025/09/14 | Accepted: 2025/09/3
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