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Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(4) March 2014, Pages: 1040-1045
AENSI Journals
Advances in Environmental Biology
ISSN-1995-0756
EISSN-1998-1066
Journal home page: http://www.aensiweb.com/aeb.html
Mentally Retarded Persons Offences; Causes of Crime and Prevention from the
Perspective of Police Officers, Lawyers and Judges
1
4
Fatemeh Dehdarzadeh,
Mohammad Ashori
2
Hossain Mir Mohammad Sadeghi,
3
Mohammad Ali Mahdavi Sabet,
1
Ph.D. Student of law, Department of Criminal Law & Criminology, College of law and Political Science, Tehran Science and Research
Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2
Visiting Professor, Department of Criminal Law & Criminology, College of law and Political Science, Tehran Science and Research
Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3
Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Law & Criminology, College of law and Political Science, Tehran Science and Research
Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
4
Full Professor, Department of Criminal Law & Criminology, College of law and Political Science, Tehran Science and Research Branch,
Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
ARTICLE INFO
Article history:
Received 14 Feb 2014
Received in revised form 24
February 2014
Accepted 29 March 2014
Available online 5 May 2014
Keyword:
Mentally retarded offenders, police
officers, lawyers, judges
ABSTRACT
This study aims to identify and prioritize the most serious crimes committed by
mentally retarded people, causes and factors to prevent the commission of a crime from
the perspective of police officers, lawyers and judges are doing. . A qualitative study
using the Delphi 33-member team, which included the participation of 11 police
officers, 11 lawyers and 11 judges were 3 stages finally, a statistical summary of
responses provided And the new ranking was determined based on the mean and the
standard was set high standards seventh. Results: Results of this study showed that
Lowest and the most frequent crimes committed by mentally retarded people were
killed and damage to property, the most important factors influencing their low average
IQ delinquency and abuse by other perpetrators and the most important factors in the
prevention of delinquency mentally retarded people, by the people through education
and awareness Culturing them is correct. Conclusion: Since individuals with mental
retardation, a series of social problems, economic, cultural and educational have to
educate people on to support their rights and education & training of police officers,
lawyers and judges necessary condition for justice it is.
© 2014 AENSI Publisher All rights reserved.
To Cite This Article: H Fatemeh Dehdarzadeh, Hossain Mir Mohammad Sadeghi, Mohammad Ali Mahdavi Sabet, Mohammad Ashori.,
Mentally Retarded Persons Offences; Causes of Crime and Prevention from the Perspective of Police Officers, Lawyers and Judges. Adv.
Environ. Biol., 8(4), 1040-1045, 2014
INTRODUCTION
The process of disability is subjected to the unsuitable physical status of a person challenging with the
consequences of the same disability and physical deficiency; this also prevents the same person of fulfilling a
role due to the age, gender, social, cultural and natural conditions for the person [24]. Based on the static of
world health organization (1981), United Nations (1990) and social-economical commission of the United
Nations in Asia and Oceanic (1995), about 10, 2-20 and lower than 10 percents of the world populations are
consisted of these disable and handicapped people, respectively; about 80% of the world’s handicapped people
live in developing countries; the reason is subjected to the difference of the given statistics from definitions and
data collected methods as well as carried out researches in relation to the same disable people [13].
Epidemiologically, the mental disability is a common disease so that it takes about 2-3% of the society and 0.3%
of the societies are with intense mental disability and about 0.1% of the patients require intense cares in special
centers or home [3]. Based on the Iranian statistics center, the population of the country is 49857384 ones in
1986 that the number of handicapped people was about 453090 and 0.91% of total population of the country at
that time. During 35 year, due to the social-economical development and the recovery of the disable people’s
healthy indices, the population is growing that this increase has been also increasing among these handicapped
ones so that it reaches to 1017659 ones in 2011. Also, the proportion of the handicapped people to the total
population of the country is increased from 0.91 to 1.35 percents and mental disable people with 333996 ones
include about 32.8% of the country’s populations [7]. The mental retardation is subjected to the intellectual
Corresponding Author: Fatmeh Dehdarzadeh, PhD student of criminal law and criminology, Islamic Azad University,
Science and Research Branch of Tehran, Department of Law, Tehran, Iran.
Tel:09177083424.
E-mail: [email protected]
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Fatmeh Dehdarzadeh et al, 2014
Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(4) March 2014, Pages: 1040-1045
function lower than its simultaneous rate with a deficiency in adaptive behavior appearing during the intellectual
period. The adaptive behavior is defined as following:
It is a rate of behavior that a person is losing the personal independency criteria and social responsibility
due to the age group expecting to be met by the same person in this regard. The low intelligence and the lack of
adaptive behavior should be happened before reaching to 18 year old; this considered the person as the mental
retardation [11]. Because the person’s mental performance and IQ is under 70 having three following features:
1- The person is not able to learn in compare to normal people
2- The person is not able to save and gather the information
3- The person is not able to apply the related approaches in a special status [5].
The studies carried out in the UK show that in the recent years the existence of mental retarded people is
increased and this makes the UK judicial system to give more struggles in recognizing and defining the mental
retarded criminals in this regard but this work is very complex and time-consuming affair, too [26]. The term of
mental retardation is being taken as a mistake with the psycho patient. But there are important distinctions
between these two cases. The psycho patients suffer from the brain unsuitable function such as depression and
schizophrenia being treated by medications while the mental retarded people cannot be treated by medications.
The judiciary officials and police officers are familiar with these terms knowing how to treat and behave with
them but they do not have enough information and knowledge in relation to mental retarded people at all [2].
The mental retarded criminal is a person having the following features:
1- Deficiency at speech
2- Problem at the understanding of questions and responsiveness
3- Disability at reading and writing
4- Intimation of questions and answers
5- Unsuitable behavior with their co-ages
6- Disability at the understanding of situational consequences
7- Trying to make others happy and ignoring their legal aspects of the actions
8- Following others and the lack of beginning early criminal behaviors
9- The lack of conscious of others’ rights
10- High in confession
11- Representing topics for others pleasure [18].
These people commit crime due to their low level of intelligence unexpectedly. Due to the recognition of
these people plays a key role in facing with judicial affairs, the present study is to recognize eager and determine
the most important crimes of these mental retarded people and the causes of their criminal actions as well as the
prevention ways of crimes in terms of police officers and judiciary attorneys.
Methodology:
This study is a quality type case using Delphi method through participating 33 people including 11 police
officers, 11 attorneys and 11 ones judges achieved in three ways as following:
Step 1:
The first questionnaire was designed as an unstructured case with the born of ideas and approaches aiming
at the determination and making priority of the mental retarded people’s crimes and their causes for committing
the related crimes. These police officers and judges were asked to make a brain connection trying to explain
their own criteria lists to clarify and remove intriguing cases briefly. Then, the whole responses were organized
and the unrelated or similar cases were also eliminated in this case. Finally, the determined criteria are
transformed into the structure-based questionnaire by the entire members being used in second step as a tool in
this regard.
Step 2:
In this section, the structured-based questionnaire includes the participants’ responses and others comments;
they were asked to make their priority among important criminal actions the factors of committing the crimes
and effective prevention agents, five crimes, five causes and five effective prevention factors in this case. Then,
the whole second questionnaires were gathered and determined and analyzed the importance of criminals,
causes and effective factors in preventing their crimes specifying their priority in this path.
Step 3:
In this step, the result of the general ranking and the related criteria were reached to the participants and
they were asked to review the responses again; then, the summary of responses statistics was prepared and a
new ranking based on the total mean was specified. Among the related criteria, seven ones were determined as
the high criteria factors.
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Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(4) March 2014, Pages: 1040-1045
Findings:
Table 1: Important priorities of happened criminals by mental retarded people in terms of police officers, judges and attorneys viewpoints.
No
Police officer
Judge
Attorney
Total of three group
1
Property damage
Property damage
Property damage
Property damage
2
Sexual aggression
Assault
Assault
Assault
3
Firing
Theft
Theft
Theft
4
Assault
Sexual aggression
Sexual aggression
Sexual aggression
5
Theft
Firing
Firing
Firing
6
Burglary
Burglary
Burglary
Burglary
7
Murder
Murder
Murder
Murder
Table 1 shows that the highest crimes happens by mental retarded people in terms of police officers, judges
and attorneys and total of three groups is subjected to property damage and the lowest crime is related to
murder.
Table 2: Important effective factors on appearing the criminals among mental retarded people.
No
Personal factors
Environmental factors (social, cultural and economical)
1
Low level of IQ of mental retarded people
Abuse by other criminals
2
Disability at perceiving the consequences of crimes
Economical, social and cultural problems of families at educational
issues, treatment and basic support
3
Commitment crime to absorb others attention
Humiliation, mocking in society
4
Weakness in controlling and managing excitements
Lack of enough financial and non-financial support
5
Low tolerating power against crimes factors
Low level of public conscious in relation to mental retarded people
6
Low self confidence
Lack of occupational chances for mental retarded people
7
Emotional tendencies and requirements and high
Lack of suitable recreational opportunities for mental retarded
impact emotional affairs
people
Table 2 shows that the lowest degree of the intelligence among mental retarded people is subjected to
personal and environmental factors happening highly and the abuse of other criminals and personal or
environmental factors as well as emotional needs and the lack of recreational facilitations had the lowest degree
of their criminals among the related groups.
Table 3: Important factors on prevention of criminals of mental retarded people.
No
Personal factors
Environmental factors (social, cultural and economical)
1
Optimizing the conscious of mental retarded people
Organizing the cultural issues in facing with social supports of
mental retarded people
2
Increasing the valuable feeling in these people
Providing suitable background for occupational affairs among these
people
3
Continuous care of these people by psychological
Making organizations training and providing suitable social
centers
activity for these people
4
Increasing of disgusting sense towards the criminal
Detaching mental retarded people from other criminals
behaviors in exceptional persons
5
Practicing punishment and praise systems in relation
Financial support of mental retarded people’s family by
to reduce the tendency of criminal actions by these
government
people
6
Increasing self confidence
Making consultation centers to make these people get out of their
excitements
7
Training the excitement control skills
Making facilitations in relation to make these people’s excitements
out
Table 3 shows that the optimization of mental retarded consciousness can reduce the appearance of criminal
actions; this can be achieved by the support of social organizations and controlling of educational skills such as
control of excitements and making recreational facilitations for the related group of people.
Discussion and conclusion:
Mental retarded people may come along with some physical, poverty, facilitation, social supports problems
being faced with psychiatric diseases and communicative pitfalls with others. If the related people want to take
an equilibrium of justice, the necessary condition is subjected to the educational system supporting the whole
children, adolescents and adults mental retarded people; these should have been trained by police officer; they
learn how to talk to a police and defend their rights; also, it is required that the whole experts of the schools,
supportive organizations, police departments and the courts should have to learn the necessary educational
affairs in this pavement [15].
Discussion:
In the present study, the priority of the most important committing crimes by the mental retarded people in
terms of police officers, judges and attorneys viewpoints is subjected to property damage as the first rank and
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Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(4) March 2014, Pages: 1040-1045
the murder stands in the last rank in this regard. The result of our research is coincident with the research of
Simpson and Hug. Simpson and Hug in 2001 showed that the sexual crimes and criminal damage among mental
retarded people is high while the degree of murder and burglary is very low among these people [25].
According to Cullen in 1993, mental retarded people commit highly sexual crimes [4]. In a study carried
out by Su in 2000 stated that the most common crimes achieving by mental retarded people is subjected to the
robbery, firing and sexual crimes [14]. Johns in 2007 in a research found that the mental retarded people achieve
more sexual and firing crimes [10]. Rose et al in 2008 studies about 47 mental retarded people and found that
the most common crimes are subjected to the aggression and physical attack (21%), sexual abuse (26%), sexual
aggression against children (23%), damage against others properties (18%); in addition, the highest degree of
the crimes are related to the sexual aggression [9]. Generally, based on the carried out studies, the damage
against others properties and sexual crimes are the most common issues among the related people; however the
sexual abuses has not been mentioned as the prior crime in terms of attorneys and judges viewpoints. It may be
due to the difference that has been established in our society in relation to the religious beliefs and the order of
Hijab provides the lowest background for achieving these crimes because the stimulating Hijab of the side can
be a high potential factor of achieving these sexual aggressive behaviors.
Another discussion is subjected to the most important factors of appearing these criminals among mental
retarded people in terms of police officers, judges and attorneys viewpoints. The most important personal factors
are as following, respectively:
a- The low level of IQ of these people
b- Disability at understanding of the criminals’ consequences
c- Committing crime for absorbing others attention
The above mentioned factors in B and C have been observed in other articles, too. O’Brien in 2010
investigated about 477 mental retarded abilities and found that about 11% of these people are with personality
disorder; indeed, the personality disorder causes to the appearance of sensory aggression, achieving an abrupt
action against others without paying attention to its consequences and intense reaction to the critical responses.
Lindsay [17] and Taylor & Raymond [8] found the same results in this regard. Su in a research (2000) found
that the mental retarded people sometimes achieve a crime for absorbing others attention. But, the first factor is
subjected to the low level of IQ of these people. The role of intelligent is not coincident with the results of
Denkowski and Firth in relation to committing a crime among mental retarded people. Denkowski in 1985 in a
study on 20 prisoners of the US found about 2.5% of the related population as mental retarded and again he
found that the low IQ is not merely the factor of committing crime in this pavement. Firth also in a similar study
in 2001 concluded that the low IQ cannot be the only factor of the criminal actions [6]. In fact, the theory of
intelligent impact in relation to the committing crimes has been lost its support for many years but the judiciary
personnel still believe that it needs the completion of necessary trainings for police officers, attorneys and
judges. The most important environmental factors of achieving these crimes among mental retarded people in
terms of police officers, attorneys and judges viewpoints are as following:
a- Abuse by other criminals
b- Social, economical and cultural problems of family in training, treatment and basic support affairs from
their mental retarded children
c- Humiliation and mocking them in the society
Here, the similar researches are more considerable; Hullin in 1989 stated that the mental retarded criminal
cannot perceive and understand the difference between the acceptable and unacceptable behavior and as a result
he or she is being abused by others easily. Perske in 2003 also stated that the mental retarded people as a
criminal person can be abused by others in a society; they were asked to help the healthy ones for reaching to
their worse thinking and terrified actions in this regard. [21]. Raina in 2010 also found a similar result in this
field. Winter et al [28] in their studies stated the refugee and homeless as the main factor of these mental
retarded populations’ awful issues for committing crimes [28]. The effective factors on the criminal behavior
carried out in Schuerman and Kobrin’s researches [23] are as following:
Populated family, renting houses, single-child families, lack of social supports and welfare, lack of
occupational opportunities [23]; Murphy et al in pointed to the social and economical backgrounds in their
studies; a new attitude was also pointed by the same researchers that having parents with mental retarding
problems can interrupt the educational strategies in relation to their own children [19].
Another important factor should be paid attention is subjected to the prevention ways of these population
effectively. These are as following:
a- The optimization of these people’s consciousness through training affairs
b- Increasing the valuable feeling of the mental retarded person
c- Continuous care of these population by the psychological centers and other related organizations
Davis in 2000 has pointed to the train of these people potentially [5].
The effective environmental factors of the related population in terms of police officers, attorneys and
judges viewpoints are as following:
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Advances in Environmental Biology, 8(4) March 2014, Pages: 1040-1045
a- Organizing the correct communication culture
b- Providing the suitable occupational conditions
c- Making organizations and institutions for educating these people
Philip in 2013 considered the construction of some opportunities for these populations to obtain the
necessary skills for successful participation in the social issues.
Paul in his research in 2005 stated that the positive screening of these mental retarded people into the mass
media issues can have a great impact on people’s viewpoints. Training usual people for considering the mental
retarded people as their citizens can cause to reduce the negative attitudes of a society to be changed for these
mental retarded populations potentially [20].
Winter et al in stated that the early interventions of social organizations can prevent to some extent these
criminal actions among the mental retarded populations [12]. Karl in 1986 considered the provider of
occupational opportunities as an inhibitor for preventing the criminals [11].
Conclusion:
It is obviously that the increase of mental retarded people can lead to the requirement of training the related
field experts in judiciary system such as police officers, attorneys and judges. Hence, it is necessary to design
the high potential plans for the whole politicians and country top officials to increase the life skills,
psychological cares and related programs of drug abuse in relation to decrease these problems in the criminal
justice system.
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