@article{ref1,
title="Automatism and the law in Norway 1981-2000",
journal="Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening",
year="2003",
author="Hartvig, Pål and Rosenqvist, Randi and Stang, Hans Jakob",
volume="123",
number="13-14",
pages="1831-1834",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Automatism in criminal cases is a medical, legal and ethical challenge in most countries, as it often leads to acquittal in criminal cases. In Norway it is also a semantic problem; the term &quot;unconsciousness&quot; is used in criminal law in a meaning that differs from its normal sense of coma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the years 1981-2000 the conclusion &quot;unconsciousness&quot;/automatism was reached in 42 cases by forensic psychiatrists. We have scored their assessments regarding demographic, social, criminological and psychiatric variables in the felons. RESULTS: The main reasons for concluding that automatism was present were: toxic (mainly alcohol) in 64%, psychogenic in 24%, and organic in 12% of the cases. The two most frequent crimes in the sample were manslaughter (29%) and intoxicated driving (21%). In 33% of cases the court did not return an acquittal based on automatism. In 29 % of the cases we disagree with, and in a further 36% we are in doubt about, the conclusions reached by the forensic psychiatrists. INTERPRETATION: Many assessments were of insufficient quality; this may give rise to questions regarding equal treatment under criminal law. We propose some changes that are called for to Norwegian legislation and practice in the field.<p /><p>Language: no</p>",
language="no",
issn="0029-2001",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}