Fatih Hitami USLUOĞULLARI, Ahmet ÖZERCAN, Durdane Nisa ÜNLÜ
Health Sciences Quarterly - 2026;6(4):821-835
Criminal responsibility evaluations are central to forensic psychiatric practice, yet factors associated with different responsibility outcomes remain insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to examine the sociodemographic, clinical, and forensic characteristics of adults referred for criminal responsibility assessment and to compare the sociodemographic, clinical, and forensic characteristics across criminal responsibility groups. This retrospective cross-sectional study included 123 individuals evaluated to determine criminal responsibility. Data were obtained from forensic psychiatric reports and institutional records. Variables included sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric history, medication use, alcohol or substance use, psychometric findings, offense characteristics, detention status, and prior criminal history. Criminal responsibility was categorized as full responsibility, diminished responsibility (Article 32/2), or no criminal responsibility (Article 32/1) under the Turkish Penal Code. The median age was 32 years, and 93.5% of the participants were male. Most participants were single, and 61.3% reported alcohol or substance use. A psychiatric diagnosis was present in 41.0% cases. Full criminal responsibility was determined in 86.8% of individuals, while 6.6% had diminished criminal responsibility and 6.6% had no criminal responsibility. Detention status, psychiatric treatment history, medication use, and alcohol or substance use differed significantly across responsibility groups (all p<0.05). Most individuals were considered fully criminally responsible; however, psychiatric morbidity and related clinical characteristics differed across criminal responsibility groups and may contribute to forensic evaluations when interpreted together with clinical assessment.
