La imputabilidad e inimputabilidad desde el punto de vista médico legal / The criminal responsibility and criminal responsibility from the medical point of view legal

La imputabilidad es un término jurídico, el cual se define como la capacidad de una persona de comprender las consecuencias que traerá la realización voluntaria de un acto ilícito, y como tal debe ser responsable y responder por el hecho cometido. El médico legal debe conocer cómo se procede en el ámbito penal en los procesos de las personas imputables pero principalmente poder determinar aquellas condiciones que generarán una abolición o disminución de la imputabilidad de manera que estos sujetos sean candidatos para la obtención de medidas de seguridad curativas que protejan a la sociedad principalmente.

The accountability is a legal term, which is defined as the ability of a person to understand the consequences that will bring the voluntary performance of an unlawful act, and as such should be responsible and accountable for the act committed. The legal physician must know how to proceed on the criminal processes of individuals attributable but mainly to determine the conditions that generate an abolition or reduction of accountability so that these people are candidates for obtaining measures of healing security primarily protect society.

Generalidades de colgajos y su importancia en la relación con la reparación del daño corporal / General flap and its importance in relation to repair bodily harm

El daño corporal es tema de gran discusión en el marco médico legal. Las repercusiones funcionales y estéticas constituyen una secuela de gran importancia para los pacientes. Es mediante técnicas quirúrgicas como los colgajos, que se ha logrado prevenir cicatrices retráctiles y marcas indelebles en el rostro. Siendo estos últimos bloques vascularizados de tejido que se movilizan a partir de un sitio donador y se clasifican según su composición, vascularización y el método de diseño y transferencia. Dichos puntos, se discutirán a continuación.

Bodily harm is the subject of much discussion in the forensic context. The functional and aesthetic impact constitute a sequel of great importance for patients. It is through surgical techniques such as flaps, which has been successful in preventing retractile scars and indelible facial mark. Latter being vascularized tissue blocks that move from a donor site and are classified according to their composition, vascularization and the design method and transfer. This subjects, are discussed below.

Criminal liability in dental practice

Introduction: The technical and scientific evolution is the greatest advance in dentistry since its regulation with the law 5.081/1966; however it is worth remembering that constant modernization of treatments brings along a proportional increase on the dentist's responsibilities with his patient. The professional should always keep in mind that along with his hand ability, innovative techniques and the best material applied there is Deontology evaluating three areas: civil, ethical-administrative and criminal. It is the dentist's obligation to follow and respect the deontological issue in a world where lawsuits against peers have increased exponentially. Objective and Conclusion: The presented study reports the relations in the Brazilian penal code concerning to criminal responsibility of the health professionals, analyzing the dental behaviors which, once applied, configure criminal types, subjecting the agent to the prosecution and trial of criminal justice. A little known subject hardly ever discussed in dentistry.

¿Inseguridad o temor?: Impunidad, politiquería y posibles soluciones / Insecurity or fear? Impunity, politicking and possible solutions

En los últimos quince años la inseguridad que soporta la sociedad costarricense, se ha agravado de manera vertiginosa, mientras la política criminal de los últimos gobiernos ha sido inconsistente e ineficaz. Algunos sostienen que el problema es más de percepción o de simple temor, aunque de julio de 2007 a julio de 2008, el 28% de los hogares del país, manifestaron haber sido víctimas de algún tipo de delito o agresión, mientras en 1997 ese porcentaje era del 15%, además el nivel de respuesta judicial a las víctimas de la delincuencia no supera el 10% y la impunidad ha crecido exageradamente. Las soluciones a nivel legislativo, policial, judicial y carcelario, son sencillas, pero tienen un gran obstáculo: la falta de voluntad de los dirigentes políticos.

Over the past fifteen years, the insecurity that supports Costa Rican society, has worsened dramatically, while the criminal policy of recent governments has been inconsistent and ineffective. Some mantain that the problem is of perception or simple fear, but from July 2007 to July 2008, 28% of of the homes of these country said that they had been victims of any crime or aggression, while in 1997 this percentage was of 15%. Also the judicial level of answer to the victims of delinquency does not superpasse 10% and impunity has grown excessively. The solutions at the legislative, police, judiciary and prisons levels are simple but they have a great obstacle: the lack of will of politician leaders.

La interpretación unitaria del artículo 34 inciso primero del Código Penal Argentino en Psiquiatría Forense / The unitary interpretation of article 34 interjection first of the Argentinean Penal Code in forensic psychiatry

En el presente ensayo se trata de oponer a la tesis que podría denominarse bipartita de la capacidad de culpabilidad penal, "comprender la criminalidad del acto o dirigir sus acciones", una tesis unitaria según la cual no es biopsicológicamente posible dirigir la conducta hacia un objeto que no se ha previamente comprendido integralmente en cuanto tal, como tampoco un completo divorcio del obrar (en el caso, fuera del señorío del sujeto agente) sobre el comprender (en el caso, completo y cabal, como expresión de máxima integración intelectiva, volitiva y afectiva del dinamismo psíquico).

The present essay is intended to oppose to the bipartite thesis of the capacity of penal culpability ("to be able to understand the criminality of the act or to be able to direct the actions"), a unitary thesis in which it seems biopsychologically impossible to direct the behaviour towards an object that hasn't been previously understood, nor a complete divorce of action from understanding (as it results from a maximum integration of the intellective, volitive and affective spheres of a dynamic psyche).

Medico legal diagnosis & pattern of injuries with sharp weapons.

Out of one hundred cases examined in GGS Medical College Faridkot during the period from July 2006 to September 2007 who sustained injuries with sharp weapons, majority (58%) were in the age group of 21-40 years, males (92%) with simple injuries (80%) and with light sharp weapons. Upper limbs were the parts of body with injuries in majority (47%) of cases followed by head (17%) and mixed type (14%).Nature of injury was homicidal in 60% cases followed by 34% cases with fabricated or strongly suspected fabricated injuries. This is a retrospective study to document pattern of injuries with medico-legal diagnosis to ascertain the type of injuries in the disbursement of justice.

Life imprisonment: meaning and interpretations of law.

The origin of criminal jurisprudence in India can be traced back to 3102 BC from the time of Manu. There was no criminal law in uncivilized society. Every man was liable to be attacked in his person or property at any time by any one. The person attacked either succumbed or over-powered his opponent. “A tooth for tooth, an eye for eye, a life for life” was the forerunner of criminal justice. With the advancement of civilization, the aggrieved person agreed to accept compensation, instead of killing his adversary. In Western jurisprudence, the real notion of crime percolated from the Roman law. In modern times, concept of criminal law is revolutionized. This paper deals with different types of punishments described by the law in India. Meaning and interpretation of ‘life imprisonment’ is discussed in detail to clear the confusing literature reported in the textbooks of Forensic Medicine in India. The Indian Penal Code, The Code of Criminal Procedure and decisions of High Courts and Supreme Court of India are reviewed to make it more authenticated.

Is attempted suicide an offence.

Life is a stage with one entrance but many exits. Among those, suicide is one exit having a long ancestry. In 1968, the World Health Organization defined suicidal act as “the injury with varying degree of lethal intent” and that suicide may be defined as “a suicidal act with fatal outcome”. World Health Organization labeled, suicidal acts with non-fatal outcome as “attempted suicide.” Suicide has been an act of condemnation as well as commendation through the ages. The act of suicide is forbidden by all the religions. In recent times, attempted suicide, though a failed act has gained more importance (than the suicide, a successful act) since it is considered as an offence and is punishable under Section 309, IPC. A lot of conflicting opinions have generated on the desirability of retaining or deleting Section 309 of Indian Penal Code because of some contrasting judgments given by our Courts. Article 21 of the Constitution of India is a provision guaranteeing protection of life and personal liberty and by no stretch of the imagination can extinction of life be read to be included in protection of life.

Is attempted suicide an offence.

Life is a stage with one entrance but many exits. Among those, suicide is one exit having a long ancestry. In 1968,the World Health Organisation defined suicidal act as "the injury with varying degree of lethal intent" and that suicide may be defined as "a suicidal act with fatal outcome". Suicidal acts with non fatal outcome are labeled by World Health Organisation as "attempted suicide." Suicide has been an act of condemnation as well as commendation through the ages. The act of suicide is forbidden in Khoran and the Holy Bible. The common belief among Hindus is that a person who commits suicide will not attain "Moksha" and his Soul will wander around, haunting and tormenting people. In recent times, attempted suicide, though a failed act has gained more importance (than the suicide, a successful act) since it is considered as an offence and is punishable under Section 309 of Indian Penal Code. A lot of conflicting opinions have generated on the desirability of retaining or deleting Section 309 of Indian Penal Code because of some contrasting judgments given by our Courts. Article 21 of the Constitution of India is a provision guaranteeing protection of life and personal liberty and by no stretch of the imagination can extinction of life be read to be included in protection of life. By declaring an attempt to commit suicide a crime, the Indian Penal Code upholds the dignity of human life, because human life is as precious to the State as it is, to its holder and the State can not turn a blind eye to a person in attempting to kill himself. Another set of people are of the opinion that the Section 309 of Indian Penal Code is cruel and irrational because it provides double punishment for a troubled individual whose deep unhappiness had caused him to try and end his life. It is cruel to inflict additional legal punishment on a person who has already suffered agony and ignominy in his failure to commit suicide. And also, what is the legal status of individuals who, by virtue of their religion refuse food and fast unto death? In India there are innumerable cases wherein religious ascetics fast to death without State intervening and are not punished though such acts amount to attempt to suicide.