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Selected Bibliography on Dementia and Criminal Justice

Last updated November 18, 2018.

Please note: The resources on this website are provided for general information purposes only. Dementia Justice does not provide legal advice or representation. If you have a legal issue, please consult with a lawyer or other qualified legal professional. For medical advice, please consult with a physician or other qualified health professional. Hyperlinks are provided for convenience only. Webpages might be unavailable, and the information may be inaccurate or out-of-date. The resources are being distributed without any guarantee, expressed or implied.

Projects & Initiatives

Alzheimer's Australia. Dementia in Correctional Services [Video].

Alzheimer Society Waterloo Wellington. Safe Pathways: Supporting Dementia in the Justice System.

University of California, San Francisco. Criminal Justice Aging Project.

Vancouver Police Department & Alzheimer Society of B.C. Eye Watch: Dementia Awareness [Video].


Inquests, Investigations & Reports

Care Quality Commission (England and Wales). Social care in prisons in England and Wales: A Thematic Report (October 2018).

Manitoba. Frank Alexander Inquest: Report on Inquest and Recommendations of Judge Michel Chartier (26 May 2015).

Manitoba. Frank Alexander Inquest: Recommendation Implementation Plan (September 2015).

Ontario Chief Coroner. Inquest Touching the Death of Ezz-El-Dine El-Roubi and Pedro Lopez: Jury Verdict and Recommendations (April 2005).

Ontario Chief Coroner, Geriatric and Long-Term Care Review Committee. 2011 Annual Report (November 2012).

Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (UK). Learning Lessons Bulletin, Issue 11, "Fatal Incidents Investigations: Dementia" (July 2016).

UK Parliament, Justice Committee. Prison Population 2022: Planning for the Future Inquiry (2018).


Advocacy Reports, Articles & Presentations

Alzheimer's Australia. Dementia in Prison (March 2014).

Campbell, Heather. "Criminal justice system needs better understanding of early-onset dementias" The Province (13 October 2015).

Campbell, Heather. "Dementia: the new frontier of criminal justice" The Lawyer's Daily (22 January 2018).

Campbell, Heather. "Killers with dementia: Canada's overlooked criminal defendants" The Lawyer's Daily (6 March 2018).

Human Services & Justice Coordinating Committee (Ontario). "Dementia and the Justice System" (21 June 2018) [PowerPoint].

Irish Penal Reform Trust. "In Here, Time Stands Still" The Rights, Needs and Experiences of Older People in Prison (2016).

Shugart, Jessica. "When Frontotemporal Dementia Leads to Crime--Prosecution or Protection?" Alz Forum (13 January 2015).

Wahl, Judith A. "When Worlds Collide: Unraveling the issues when Individuals living with dementia intersect with the criminal justice system" Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (2014) [PowerPoint].

Weaver, Donald. "Dementia's hidden darkness: Violence and domestic abuse" The Conversation (November 12, 2018).

Wilson, John & Sharen Barboza. "The Looming Challenge of Dementia in Corrections" (Spring 2010) 24:2 CorrectCare 12.


Global Organization Publications

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. "Handbook on Prisoners with Special Needs", Criminal Justice Handbook Series (New York: United Nations Publication, 2009).

World Health Organization. "Towards a dementia plan: a WHO guide" (2018).


Submissions to Government

Alzheimer's Australia. "Submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission: Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) in Australia - Discussion Paper" (July 2017).

Dementia Justice Society of Canada. "Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology: Bill C-233: An Act respecting a national strategy for Alzheimer's disease and other dementias" (April 2017).


Academic Articles and Books

Ahalt, Cyrus et al. "Cognition and Incarceration: Cognitive Impairment and Its Associated Outcomes in Older Adults in Jail" (19 September 2018) J Am Geriatrics Society doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15521.

Barak, Yoram; Tova Perry & Avner Elizur. “Elderly criminals: A study of the first criminal offence in old age” (1995) 10:6 Intl J Geriatric Psychiatry 511.

Berryess, Colleen M. “Behavioral and neural impairments of frontotemporal dementia: Potential implications for criminal responsibility and sentencing” (2016) 46 Intl J L & Psychiatry 1.

Birkhoff JM; C Garberi & L Re. "The behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia: An analysis of the literature and a case report" (20 April 2016) 47 Intl J L & Psychiatry 157.

Brain Sciences UNSW. "Negative early experiences impacting brains of Indigenous children" (24 September 2010).

Brooke, Joanne; Alicia Diaz-Gil & Debra Jackson. "The impact of dementia in the prison setting: A systematic review" (30 September 2018) 0:0 Dementia 1.

Brower, M C & B H Price. “Neuropsychiatry of frontal lobe dysfunction in violent and criminal behaviour: a critical review” (2001) 71 J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 720.

Caspi, Eilon. "The circumstances surrounding the death of 105 elders as a result of resident-to-resident incidents in dementia in long-term care homes" (May 2018) J Elder Abuse & Neglect.

Catley, Paul. "The Future of Neurolaw" (2016) 22:2 Euro J Current Legal Issues.

Carter, Adrian; Polly Ambermoon & Wayne D Hall. "Drug-Induced Impulse Control Disorders: A Prospectus for Neuroethical Analysis" (7 May 2010) Neuroethics doi: 10.1007/s12152-010-9071-7.

Chandler, Jennifer A. "The use of neuroscientific evidence in Canadian criminal proceedings" (1 November 2015) 2:3 J L & Biosci 550.

Christodoulou, Mario. "Locked up and at risk of dementia" (September 2012) 11:9 The Lancet: Neurology 750.

Cipriani, Gabriele et al. "Old and dangerous: Prison and dementia" (October 2017) 51 J Forensic & Legal Medicine 40.

Cipriani, Gabriele et al. “Violent and criminal manifestations in dementia patients” (2016) 16 Geriatr Gerontol Int 541.

Combalbert, Nicolas et al. "Cognitive impairment, self-perceived health and quality of life of older prisoners" (February 2018) 28:1 Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health 36.

Cooter, Emma V. "'NeuroDiversion': Incorporating Frontal Lobe Rehabilitation Treatment for Impulse-Control Management in the Rehabilitation of Criminal Offenders in Australia", PhD Thesis, Bond University, Faculty of Law (October 2015).

Curyto, Kim J et al. “Evidence-Based Treatments for Behavioral Disturbances in Long-Term Care” in Forrest Scogin & Avani Shah, eds, Making Evidence-Based Psychological Treatments Work with Older Adults (Washington: American Psychological Association, 2012), 167.

Darby, R Ryan; Judith Edersheim & Bruce H Price. “What Patients with Behavioral-Variant Frontotemporal Dementia Can Teach Us About Moral Responsibility” (2016) 7:4 AJOB Neuroscience 193.

Dawson, Andrew et al. "Capacity, control and responsibility in Parkinson's disease patients with impulse control disorders: Views of neurological and psychiatric experts" (2018) Intl J L & Psychiatry doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2018.04.003.

de Kogel, CH & EJMC Westgeest. "Neuroscientific and behavioral genetic information in criminal cases in the Netherlands" (23 June 2015) 2:3 J L & Biosci 580.

Diehl-Schmid, Janine et al. “Guilty by Suspicion? Criminal Behavior in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration” (June 2013) 26:2 Cognitive & Behavioral Neurology 73.

Di Lorito, Claudio; Birgit Völlm & Tom Dening. "The individual experience of ageing prisoners: systematic review and meta-synthesis through a Good Lives Model framework" (February 2018) 33:2 Int'l J Geriatric Psychiatry 252.

Dillon, Gayle et al. "'The guy might not even be able to remember why he's here and what he's in here for and why he's locked in': residents and prison staff experiences of living and working alongside people with dementia who are serving prison sentences for a sexual offence" (17 October 2018) J Psychology, Crime & Law https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2018.1535063.

Dinniss, Stephen. Case Report, “Violent Crime in an Elderly Demented Patient” (1999) 14 Int J Geriat Psychiatry 889.

Doron, Israel (Issi) et al. "The legal appearances of dementia in court rulings: mapping the terrain" (May 2017) 29:5 Intl Psychogeriatrics 755.

Du Toit, Sanetta & Margaret McGrath. "Dementia in prisons - enabling better care practices for those ageing in correctional facilities" (December 2017) Brit J OT.

Ekström, Anette; Marianne Kristiansson & Karin Sparring Björkstén. "Dementia and cognitive disorder identified at a forensic psychiatric examination - a study from Sweden" (2017) 17 BMC Geriatr 219.

Fazel, S et al. "Dementia in prison: ethical and legal implications" (2002) 28 J Medical Ethics 156.

Feczko, Anne. "Dementia in the incarcerated elderly adult: innovative solutions to promote quality of care" (December 2014) 26:12 J Am Assoc Nurse Pract 640.

Gaston, Sherryl. "Vulnerable prisoners: Dementia and the impact on prisoners, staff and the correctional setting" (2018) 25 Collegian 241.

Heinik, Jeremiah; Robert Kimhi & Josef PH Hes. “Dementia and Crime: A Forensic Psychiatry Unit Study in Israel” (1994) 9 Int J Geriatric Psychiatry 491.

Hindley, Nick & Harvey Gordon. “The Elderly, Dementia, Aggression and Risk Assessment” (2000) 15 Int J Geriat Psychiatry 254.

Hirono, Nobutsugu. "Left Frontotemporal Hypoperfusion Is Associated With Aggression in Patients With Dementia" (June 2000) 57 Arch Neurol 861.

Humphreys, Jessi et al. "Six-Month Emergency Department Use among Older Adults Following Jail Incarceration" (August 2018) 95:4 J Urban Health 523.

Jalain, Caroline Isabelle. "The Impact of Serotonin and Dopamine on Human Aggression: A Systematic Review of the Literature", MA Thesis, The University of Southern Mississippi, May 2014.

Jennings, Bruce. “Freedom Fading: On Dementia, Best Interests, and Public Safety” (2001) 35 Georgia Law Review 593.

Jensen, Per et al. “Crime in Huntington’s disease: a study of registered offences among patients, relatives, and controls” (1998) 65 J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 467.

Kim, Jeong-Min et al. "Criminal Manifestations of Dementia Patients: Report from the National Forensic Hospital" (Jan-Dec 2011) 1:1 Dementia Geriatric Cognitive Disorders Extra 433.

Klaming, Laura & Bert-Jaap Koops. "Neuroscientific Evidence and Criminal Responsibility in the Netherlands" in TM Spranger, ed, International Neurolaw: A Comparative Analysis (Heidelberg: Springer, 2012), 227.

Kratcoski, Peter C. “Circumstances Surrounding Homicides by Older Persons” (1990) 17:4 Crim Justice & Behavior 420.

Lamar, Melissa et al. "Dementia" in Joseph R Simpson, ed, Neuroimaging in Forensic Psychiatry: From the Clinic to the Courtroom (West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2012), 67.

Lewis, Catherine F; Cynthia Fields & Elizabeth Rainey. “A Study of Geriatric Forensic Evaluees: Who Are the Violent Elderly?” (2006) 34:3  J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 324.

Liljegren, Madeleine et al. “Criminal Behavior in Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer Disease” (March 2015) 72:3 JAMA Neurol 295.

Luther, Glen & Mansfield Mela. “The Top Ten Issues in Law and Psychiatry” (2006) 69 Sask L Rev 401.

Maschi, Tina et al. "Forget Me Not: Dementia in Prison" (August 2012) 52:4 The Gerontologist 441.

Mendez, Mario F. "Pathological Stealing in Dementia: Poor Response to SSRI Medications" (2011) 72:3 J Clin Psychiatry 418.

Mendez, Mario F. “The Neurobiology of Moral Behavior: Review and Neuropsychiatric Implications” (2009) 14:11 CNS Spectr 608.

Mendez, Mario F. "The Unique Predisposition to Criminal Violations in Frontotemporal Dementia" (2010) 38:3 J Am Acad Psychiatry Law 318.

Mendez, Mario F. “What frontotemporal dementia reveals about the neurobiological basis of morality” (2006) 67 Medical Hypothesis 411.

Mendez, Mario F & Jill S Shapira. “Altered emotional morality in frontotemporal dementia” (2009) 14:3 Cognitive Neuropsychiatry 165 at 174.

Mendez, Mario F; Eric Anderson & Jill Shapira. “An Investigation of Moral Judgement in Frontotemporal Dementia” (December 2005) 18:4 Cognitive & Behavioral Neurology 193.

Miller, BL et al. “Aggressive, socially disruptive and antisocial behaviour associated with fronto-temporal dementia” (1997) 170 BJP 150.

Miki, Tomoko. "Behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia: Fundamental clinical issues associated with prediction of pathological bases" (August 2016) 36:4 Neuropathology 388.

Moriarty, Jane Campbell. "Seeing Voices: Potential Neuroscience Contributions to a Reconstruction of Legal Insanity" (2016) 85:2 Fordham L Rev 599.

Morris, Douglas R & George F Parker. “Effects of advanced age and dementia on restoration of competence to stand trial” (2009) 32:3 Intl J Law & Psychiatry 156.

Peacock, Shelley et al. "Living with Dementia in Correctional Settings: A Case Report" (July/September 2018) 14:3 J Forensic Nursing 180.

Perlin, Michael & Joel Dvoskin. “AIDS-Related Dementia and Competency to Stand Trial: A Potential Abuse of the Forensic Mental Health System?” (1990) 18:4 Bull Am Acad Psychiatry Law 349.

Pompanin S et al. "Impulse control disorders in frontotemporal dementia: spectrum of symptoms and response to treatment" (Nov-Dec 2014) 36:6 Gen Hosp Psychiatry 760.

Rayel, MG; WB Land & TG Gutheil. “Dementia as a risk factor for homicide” (1999) 44:3 J Forensic Sci 565.

Redding, Richard E. "The Brain-Disordered Defendant: Neuroscience and Legal Insanity in the Twenty-First Century" (2006) 56:1 Am U L Rev 51.

Rothman, Max B; Burton D Dunlop & Pamela Entzel, eds. Elders, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System: Myths, Perceptions, and Reality in the 21st Century (New York: Springer Publishing Company, Inc., 2000).

Rudo-Hutt, Anna et al. "Biosocial Interactions and Correlates of Crime" in K Beaver & A Walsh, eds, The Ashgate Research Companion to Biosocial Theories of Crime (Farnham: Ashgate, 2011), 17.

Salari, Sonia. “Patterns of intimate partner homicide suicide in later life: strategies for prevention” (2007) 2:3 Clinical Interventions in Aging 441.

Sanders, Sara & Meredith Stensland. "Preparing to Die Behind Bars: The Journey of Male Inmates with Terminal Health Conditions" (1 July 2018) 24:3 J Corrective Health Care 232.

Sapolsky, Robert M. “The frontal cortex and the criminal justice system” (2004) 359:1451 Phil Trans R Soc Lond B 1787.

Seiden, Jessie A. “The Criminal Brain: Frontal Lobe Dysfunction Evidence in Capital Proceedings” (2004) 16:2 Capital Defense J 395.

Sfera, Adonis et al. “Neurodegeneration Behind Bars: from molecules to jurisprudence” (August 2014) 5 Front psychiatry 115.

Shaw, R et al. "Ageing in corrective services: from the perspective of prison chaplains" (1 July 2018) J Psychiatry, Psychology & Law https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2018.1483275.

Shepherd, SM et al. "Aboriginal prisoners and cognitive impairment: the impact of dual disadvantage on Social and Emotional Wellbeing" (April 2017) 61:4 J Intellectual Disability Research 385.

Shinagawa, Shunichiro et al. “Violations of Law in Frontotemporal Dementia: A Multicenter Study in Japan” (2017) 57:4 J Alzheimer’s Disease 1221.

Sener, Mustafa Talip et al. "Criminal Responsibility of the Frontal Lobe Syndrome" (October 2015) 47:3 Eurasian J Med 218.

Stevens, Geert Philip. "The Role of Impulse Control Disorders in Assessing Criminal Responsibility: Medico-Legal Perspectives from South Africa" (11 October 2015) 23:3 Psychiatry Psychology & Law 413. 

Strasser, Meagan. "Health, Illness, and Aging in Carceral Spaces", MA Thesis, University of Ottawa, Department of Criminology (2017).

Ticehurst, Stephen B; Ian G Gale & Stewart J Rosenberg. “Homicide and Attempted Homicide by Patients Suffering from Dementia: Two Case Reports” (1994) 28:1 Aust N Z J Psychiatry 136.

Torrisi, Michele et al. “Inappropriate behaviors and hypersexuality in individuals with dementia: An overview of a neglected issue” (2017) 17 Geriatr Geronotol Int 865.

Yarnell, Stephanie C; Paul D Kirwin & Howard V Zonana. "Geriatrics and the Legal System" (June 2017) 45:2 J Am Academy Psychiatry & Law 208.

Yu, R et al. "Aggressive behaviors in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment: systematic review and meta-analysis" (19 October 2018) Am J Geriatric Psychiatry.


Media Articles

Anderson, Pauline. “New Criminal Behavior May Signal Frontotemporal Dementia” Medscape Medical News (5 January 2015).

Bailey, Ian. “Accused of killing roommate, veteran dies at 95” The Globe and Mail (3 February 2014).

Belluck, Pam. "Life, with Dementia" The New York Times (25 February 2012).

Church, Elizabeth. "Report urges Ontario to take action on violence in long-term care homes" The Globe and Mail (17 November 2015).

Davies, Madlen. "Could criminal behaviour be the first sign of dementia?" Daily Mail (6 January 2015).

Donaldson, Nancy et al. "Dementia Behind Bars" The New York Times (25 February 2012) [video].

Eagleman, David. "The Brain on Trial" The Atlantic (July/August 2011).

Hasham, Alyshah. “Senior on trial for murder suffers from dementia, delusions, court hears” The Toronto Star (20 November 2016).

Herring, Marvis. "Nursing home resident not charged in roommate's death" Wood TV (10 October 2018).

Heudebourg, Celia. "As America's Incarcerated Age, the Need for Hospice Rises" Next Avenue (3 August 2018).

Hubert, Cynthia. "Did dementia lead to violence in three Sacramento cases?" The Sacramento Bee (4 July 2015).

Humphreys, Keith. "Dementia and Criminal Responsibility" Washington Monthly (8 July 2015).

Kitchin, Phil. "'Monstrous' serial rapist dies after eluding trial" Stuff NZ (4 October 2012).

Livingston, Tommy. "The dementia defence: Can courts really determine when a suspect is unfit to stand trial?" Stuff NZ (16 July 2017).

MacQueen, Ken. “Old and dangerous: Senior violence is getting worse” Maclean’s (17 January 2014).

Mehta, Diana. “Senior charged with murder found to be a risk before attack at home, trial hears” The Canadian Press (13 October 2016).

Mehta, Diana. “Toronto senior guilty of 2nd-degre murder in death of fellow resident” The Canadian Press (1 December 2016).

Milter, Anna. "Examining the Link Between Early-Stage Dementia and Criminal Behavior" UCSF School of Medicine (27 April 2015).

O'Neill, Margot. "Hundreds of dementia assaults going unreported" ABC News (11 April 2013).

Osman, Laura. "Violence between residents on the rise in Ottawa long-term care homes" CBC News (26 January 2018).

Pacheco, Debbie. "'There isn't anywhere to go': Ontario halfway house for aging inmates addressing gap in prison system" CBC Radio (30 September 2018).

Payne, Elizabeth. "When dementia patients commit crimes: can Canada's justice system handle the 'grey wave'?" Ottawa Citizen (22 June 2018).

Pemberton, Kim. “Danger in the dementia care home” Vancouver Sun (17 January 2016).

PostMedia Network. "Wave of dementia behind 12 homicides has Ontario nursing homes pleading for help from province" National Post (5 January 2016).

Rinaldo, Sandie & Litsa Sourtzis. “W5 investigation reveals national crisis: homicide in care homes” CTV W5 (27 September 2013).

Rozenberg, Joshua. "People with advanced dementia have no place in court" The Guardian (19 January 2016).

Scutti, Susan. "Huntington's Disease and Other Brain Disease Could Turn Law-Abiding Citizens into Criminals" Medical Daily (5 January 2015).

The Japan Times. "Japanese Justice Ministry devises dementia test for elderly inmates" (21 January 2018).

The Mainichi (Japan). "Justice Ministry to test new elderly inmates for dementia at 8 prisons" (16 January 2018).

Tunison, John. "Dementia patient will not be charged in homicide of fellow patient: prosecutor" Grand Rapids Press (10 October 2018).

Winter, Chloe. "Court of Appeal declines former iwi leader Sir Ngatata Love's appeal" Stuff NZ (26 June 2017).


Legislation (Canada)

Corrections and Conditional Release Act, SC 1992, c 20.

Criminal Code, RSC 1985, c C-46.

National Strategy for Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias Act, SC 2017, c 19.


International Conventions

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, GA Res 61/106, UN Doc A/RES/61/106 (2006).


Case Law (Australia)

In the matter of Brian Andrew Scutt [2018] QMHC 10.


Case Law (Canada)

R v Amey, 2009 NSPC 29.

R v Baufeld, 2009 YKTC 130.

R v Blackjack, 2010 YKTC 117.

R v Brooks, 2017 ONSC 439.

R v Hasad, 2013 ABQB 192.

R v Miller, 2011 BCSC 1292.

R v Prasad, 2005 BCPC 348.

R v Singleton, 2010 BCSC 1734.

R v Singleton, 2011 BCSC 1838.

R v Szostak, 2012 ONCA 503.

R v Williams, 2012 ONSC 5851.


Case Law (New Zealand)

Love v R, [2017] NZCA 265.

R v K, [2017] NZHC 518.

R v MacKay, [2016] NZCA 625.


Case Law (Scotland)

Murphy v Her Majesty, [2016] ScotHC HCJAC 118.


Case Law (United States)

Miller v State, No. SC13-516 (Fla Sup Ct 2015).

State v Ford, 2015-Ohio-4588 (Ct App).

United States v Dreyer, 705 F.3d 951 [9th Cir. 2013].
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