TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1971//
TI  - Epilepsy, automatism, and crime
JO  - Lancet
A1  - Gunn, John
A1  - Fenton, George W.
SP  - 1173
EP  - 1176
VL  - 297
IS  - 7710
N2  - Epilepsy is often considered a possible medical defence against violent crimes. This paper reports the findings from a national survey of epileptic prisoners and a total survey of epileptic patients at Broadmoor Hospital. The cases of 4 prisoners who had had epileptic fits just before committing a crime, 5 prisoners who had fits just after committing a crime, and 4 other cases in which a possible association could be considered between a crime and automatism were reviewed. None showed convincing evidence of automatic criminal behaviour. The 32 epileptic patients in Broadmoor Hospital were there because of violent crimes or behaviour, and 2 men had probably committed their violent crime as part of the ictal process from which they suffered. It is concluded that automatic behaviour is a rare explanation for the crimes of epileptic patients, and the excess prevalence of epilepsy discovered in the prison population cannot be explained this way.<p /> 
LA  - 
SN  - 0140-6736
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(71)91676-X
ID  - ref1
ER  -