Sexual abuse is a crime which rarely has witnesses and, therefore, proving such offences is largely based on the testimony of the victims involved when no physical evidence is available to unequivocally document it. As a result, the testimony of the victim in such cases is the only basis on which a judge should make his decisions. Studies carried out on the testimony of children have shown the difficulties which arise when the minor is both victim and witness. Research studies conducted on child abuse recall, once again, the need for reflection on the manner in which the hearing of children’s accounts should be carried out in light of their suggestibility. Questions which are suggestive in nature act to affirm more than what they ask and may lead the witness to confirm the elements of the question put forth. If the witness is a child, it is possible for an adult to insert information into the youngster’s memory, thus incorporating it into his recollection of events, or substituting the original memory with it.The aim of this study is to verify the memory capacity in school age children (ages 6 to 9 years) through involvement in play activities carried out in a classroom setting, followed by individual interviews focusing on their views of what had transpired. Several factors which are able to influence the ability to remember were analyzed: age; role performed during the play activity; whether the participants played an active role, or merely observed; and the influence of troubling factors, such as confusion or stress.The results show the complex interactions among the multiple factors investigated in this study. They highlight the importance of examining all elements which may potentially come into play when interviewing a child and to understanding his or her suitability to give testimony. The data which have emerged from our analysis confirm the assumption that children may be reliable witnesses only if they are heard utilizing correct methodology based on the use of questions which are non-suggestive, and as non-leading as possible, so as to allow the child to recount the events in a manner as free and spontaneous as possible.

Lethal child neglect is a rare cause of death in industrialized countries. Starvation and dehydration are peculiar signs of such abuse even if it is mandatory to exclude organic diseases that may mimic neglect. A 4 months-year-old infant started vomiting at his home and then collapsed in a local hospital, where he expired. The mother stated that baby had had symptoms (fever, vomit and diarrhea) but she was afraid to seek medical care. At autopsy, clear signs of dehydration were found. Histological examination showed a T-cell lymphoblastic infiltrate of the organs with foci of bronchopneumonia in lungs. The results of autopsy suggested that the cause of death was a Cancer-Cachexia-Syndrome from an Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The manner of death was attributed to natural death. In the present article, crime scene investigations as well as medical history, autopsy findings, and possible liability of the parents in determining child’s death are discussed.

In light of the recent Autonomous Boroughs and Regions Conference and thirty years on from its passing as Law 833/78, we were brought once again to dwell on the themes of Compulsory Health Checks and Compulsory Health Treatment. In accordance to Law 833, decreed in 1978, CHT’s for patients with mental illnesses considered as being serious, acquired the ability to be able to treat patients under the rights for the protection of health for the individual. In view of the delicacy and complexities found in applying CHT and the margin for ‘interpretation’ regarding its procedures, throughout the years a very diverse and varied image comes forth of its application in accordance to standards, even within different branches in the same territory. And as a result of these differences new recommendations were laid out during the recent ABR conference. Here, in due respect to the recent and innovative discussions about necessary improvements to the procedures adopted in CHT and CHC, we will set forth our own thoughts on the subject highlighting especially the increased attention given to the protection of the fundamental rights of the individual, be they minors or persons with psychiatric disorders subject to protection. Despite these new guidelines, the everyday practical problems in providing the service remain largely ignored whether or not we are dealing with emergency services or, as is even more the case, where patient consent is unavailable even on a long term basis.

The Law 833 of 1978 on the subject of psychiatric emergency treatments in absence of consensus has contributed to grant mental patients equal guaranties and equal constitutional rights which, until that moment, they had been denied. This standpoint includes TSO in favor of mental patients. Ordered by the constitutional laws which guarantee a person’s inviolable rights, TSO finds itself positioned between individual freedom and the freedom of treatment on the one hand, and the right to safeguard health on the other hand. The procedure of TSO is noticeable in its various phases so as to provide for the various levels of safeguarding a person who is temporarily deprived of the capacity to express valid consensus. On the other side it also has a certain amount of flexibility in its application, which guarantees adaptability of the norm in various contexts and various incidental situations. Nevertheless, the complexity of the law on TSO, as well as the interpretation margins of the procedure have contributed to the creation of an application frame which is not free of criticism. In this context, the recommendations of the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces have particular importance. These recommendations deserve careful analysis, both for the presence of elements of novelty (in the very particular cases of TSO for children under 18 and TSO for decisionally impaired subjects) and for the reminder of the full application of “non-hospitalized TSO”. The latter was provided for in Law 833/78 but has never been adequately and completely adopted because it has never been explained in its concrete applicability. Therefore, bearing in mind the already known responsibility of a psychiatrist in an emergency case, and with renewed interest in new medical performance a psychiatrist of public service has to guarantee, we are preparing to give our contribution on the subject of professional obligations at a historical moment in which known trials seem to assign the responsibility for the “dangerousness” of a mental patient to the psychiatrist.

Aim. To investigate the influence of various factors on the ability of primary school children (aged 6-9 years) to refer an event that occurred during their life. Materials and Methods. The factors analyzed were: the time since the event occurred; the role the child had in the event; the type of questions asked to elicit the account. Results. The results of this research indicate that 52.4% of 6-yearold children are able to describe the main elements of the event if they are allowed to give a free account. Asking direct questions does not improve the quality of the narrative. By contrast, in 9-year-old children the quantity of data collected is improved if direct questions are asked. A role as a participant in the event improves the quality of the child’s evidence but only in the group of children aged 9, whereas in younger children the difference is not significant. At the age of 9, the child’s resistance to leading questions is already quite good (40.7%), whereas children of 6 are much more suggestible. Conclusions. The Authors conclude this work by making some reflections on the possible use of these findings in Law Courts, and on the need for a highly specific training of experts involved in the task of collecting evidence from young children.

There are few studies of female stalkers in literature addressing different study populations. There appears to be a high incidence of mental disease among female stalkers, having an important role in inducing the harassment. We present a woman affected by a bipolar disorder had a long affair with her victim, broken off in 2007. Stalking began in January 2009 and continued for 6 months, during which time she was not taking drugs and was in a decompensated clinical phase. In July 2009, she was denounced for harassment; the authorities demanded a psychiatric examination. The woman then resumed taking the medication regularly. In December 2009, although she was in complete remission, she began stalk- ing once more. This case shows that even when there seems to be an evident relation between psychopathology and crime, it is always necessary to evaluate to what extent the mental disorder is responsible for the criminal behavior.

Historically, there has been an assumption that women do not commonly perpetrate acts of sexual abuse against children (Wakefiled & Underwager, 1991). Recent interest in women offenders has brought attention to the issue, and challenges the perceptions regarding women who abuse children. The growing interest in the topic of female-perpetrated incidents of sexual victimization has produced some empirical research on the subject. A brief search of the current literature also yields a few published case studies, consisting primarily of reports on personality characteristics and developmental information from female perpetrators. Although this “provides a necessary starting point in understanding female sexual abuse perpetrators” (Wakefield & Underwager, 1991, p. 56), the findings from these data should be seen as preliminary, and may not describe the full range of women involved in the perpetration of sexual abuse (Grayston & De Luca, 1999). Women who sexually abuse minors are rare and case histories are scarce; even less is known about sexually abusive mothers. Current data suggests that females are responsible for only a small percentage of sexual offenses against children in the general population, and men remain the most common perpetrators of child sexual abuse. Unlike male offenders, however, females can often disguise sexual offending by performing normal daily activities associated with childcare (i.e. affection, bathing, and dressing). Their behavior may appear to be nothing more than excessively protective mothering. Moreover, mothers may also commit more overt and highly eroticized, seductive behaviors, even going so far as to bestow the role of "lover" upon the child. Due to the low number of cases in which women sexually abuse minors, more in-depth studies on this subject are needed. The clinical files of five women who are currently serving time in Italian prisons for the sexual abuse of minors are presented here. The cases involved varying degrees of participation in the abuse by the mothers, and ranged from active sexual engagement to allowing others to abuse their children. Records of the abuse cases and other records were utilized. In three cases women revealed an antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), while in two cases a borderline personality disorder (BPD) was diagnosed according with DSM-IV criteria. While existing studies of female child sex offenders provided a range of insight and knowledge regarding women who sexually abuse, the current literature does not adequately represent the full spectrum of female-perpetrated child victimization (Grayston & De Luca, 1999). Considerably more well documented empirical research is required to guide law enforcement and clinical professionals in their understanding of female sex offenders. In recent years, several preliminary typologies of female sex offenders have begun to emerge in an effort to more clearly specify characteristics, dynamics, and offense patterns of female sexual perpetrators. However, the current review has shown that most female sex offenders fall into several suggested typology models. Therefore, the existing typologies used to describe these women may need to be insufficient. It is recommended that more comprehensive exploration of this offender population continue in order to more appropriately understand and classify female child sex offenders.

A deep understanding of the characteristics of sex offenders may serve to improve clinical prevention and treat- ment programs. Mostly, however, this knowledge can aid in the creation of better re-education and rehabilitation programs as well as criminological treatment. In prison systems outside of Italy, the use of treatment programs specifically designed for sex offenders is commonplace, whereas in Italy, there is only sporadic experimentation in this field which is aimed at evalu- ating adults. If this is true for adults, it is even more so for the minors who commit this type of crime that gives rise to worry and a great sense of alarm. The aim of this work is to show the preliminary results of an empirical study that explores the men- tal representations of the parents of minors who commit acts of sexual violence towards other. This study is an ongoing in col- laboration with the Juvenile Justice Center (Centro Giustizia Minorile) of the Region of Apulia, whose first data on 10 juve- nile perpetrators of such specific crimes are presented here

Obiettivo della ricerca, effettuare una ricognizione sulle modalità di tratta- mento degli autori di reato con disturbi mentali da parte dei Centri di Salute Mentale della Regione Puglia dopo la Sentenza 253/03 della Corte Costitu- zionale. Con i Dipartimenti di Salute Mentale pugliesi è stata approntata una sche- da di rilevazione in grado di fornire informazioni in merito ad aree conside- rate significative: socio-demografica(sesso, scolarità, stato civile, condizione abi- tativa, condizione lavorativa, caratteristiche famiglia di origine), clinica(diagno- si, numero di ricoveri, durata della presa in carico, operatori coinvolti nel trat- tamento, modalità e tipo trattamento, frequenza dei contatti, familiarità psi- chiatrica) ecriminologica(tipo di reato, modalità di invio al servizio, posizione giudiziaria, grado di giudizio, autorità inviante). Attraverso l’indagine, tuttora in corso, ci si propone di effettuare una ricognizione degli autori di reato af- fetti da disturbi mentali in carico ai servizi territoriali nel quinquennio 2003- 2007. Questi i primi dati emersi. Il 72% dei soggetti del campione è costituito da uomini, la maggior parte dei quali (51,8%) possiede il titolo di licenza media inferiore ed è celibe o nu- bile (63%). Gran parte dei pazienti vive con la famiglia di origine (55,6%), de- scritta nel 40% dei casi come “assente”. Circa il 44% del campione è affetto da disturbi dello spettro schizofrenico; il 75% del campione non presenta familiarità psichiatrica o antisociale.In merito alle modalità di trattamentoricevuto, per il 47% del campione ef- fettua solo controlli c/o presso il CSM; il tipo di trattamentoseguito dal 98% dei pazienti è costituito dalla psicofarmacoterapia, nel 43% dei casi associata ad al- tro tipo di trattamento (riabilitazione, psicoterapia). In maniera, cioè, del tut- to sovrapponibile a quanto viene garantito agli altri pazienti. Particolarmente interessanti, infine, i primi dati relativi all’area criminolo- gica. Il 69% del campione è costituito da soggetti inputabili, il 70% dei quali condannati a pena definitiva. Nel 25% dei casi si tratta invece di soggetti in at- tesa di giudizio. L’Autorità inviante è costituita in circa la metà dei casi (49%) dal Tribunale di Sorveglianza, per il resto da altri Giudici – GIP, per lo più – o collegi giudicanti, con i quali i servizi psichiatrici coinvolti non hanno in seguito mantenuto rapporti costanti e duraturi nel tempo.

Gli Autori si soffermano sulle problematiche collegate alla genitorialità del soggetto anziano , con riferimento peculiare alla valutazione delle capacità genitoriali ,attività diagnostica complessa , con riflessi sia clinici che psicosociali che giuridici . Analizzano in particolare le implicazioni di carattere psicosociale per l'equilibrio e la tutela dei minori e per i rischi di abusi sia per quanto riguarda i minori che i soggetti anziani

A deep understanding of the characteristics of sex offenders may serve to improve clinical prevention and treat- ment programs. Mostly, however, this knowledge can aid in the creation of better re-education and rehabilitation programs as well as criminological treatment. In prison systems outside of Italy, the use of treatment programs specifically designed for sex offenders is commonplace, whereas in Italy, there is only sporadic experimentation in this field which is aimed at evalu- ating adults. If this is true for adults, it is even more so for the minors who commit this type of crime that gives rise to worry and a great sense of alarm. The aim of this work is to show the preliminary results of an empirical study that explores the men- tal representations of the parents of minors who commit acts of sexual violence towards other. This study is an ongoing in col- laboration with the Juvenile Justice Center (Centro Giustizia Minorile) of the Region of Apulia, whose first data on 10 juve- nile perpetrators of such specific crimes are presented here.

The aim of this study was to ascertain if a relationship between weapon choice and psychopathology existed. The perpetrators (103) were evaluated at the Department of Criminology and Forensic Psychiatry of the University of Bari in southern Italy. Psychiatric examination and psycho-diagnostic tests were administered for each of the perpetrators and a database was subsequently formulated. The results showed a significant correlation between some types of mental disorder and weapon choice. A strong correlation was found between delusional disorders and the use of sharp weapons, whereas depressive disorders were more strongly associated with asphyxia. Organic disorders were found to be highly correlated with the use of blunt instruments. In cases where the homicide was the result of an impulsive reaction, the use of sharp weapons was most often observed.

The case of an adolescent female stalker came to our observation when the Juvenile Court of Justice commissioned an expert opinion. This case led us to reflect on the characteristics of juvenile stalking as compared to the adult phenomenon. The literature demonstrates that there are substantial differences between adult and adolescent stalkers. The data in literature were not sufficient to distinguish a single category in which to classify the case we observed, obliging us to explore further and examine the correlation between stalking and attachment style. We claim that the case presented could be interpreted as a form of protest against the loss of the attachment figure. The authors believe that to gain a better understanding of the harassment adopted in juvenile stalking it is important to explore the psychological, psychopathological, family, and social factors.

An ample volume of research evidence supports the conclusion that severe mental illness is correlated with violent behavior. While episodes of violent behavior are included in medical notes, not all episodes of violent behavior are officially reported to the police, even when they are actual crimes. We conducted a retrospective study on the already existing clinical files of four public psychiatric outpatient facilities, based in Southern Italy, in order to assess how many cases of violent behavior are actually reported and which variables are more frequently connected with the decision to report. The data shows that the episodes known to the health services, in number and seriousness, vastly outnumber the complaints actually made towards their patients.