Journal of Legal Research

Journal of Legal Research

The Effect of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) on Criminal Responsibility in the Legal Systems of Iran and Canada

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Milad Mehrban 1
Mehdi Esmaeli 2
Hasan Hajitabar Firozjaee 3
1 PhD Student in Criminal Law and Criminology, Ayatollah Amoli Branch, Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Criminal Law and Criminology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Ghaem Shahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ghaem Shahr, Iran.
10.48300/jlr.2024.164451.1199
Abstract
The mental state of the accused is a critical factor in assigning criminal responsibility. In particular, the absence of intellect is considered one of the factors precluding criminal responsibility. In the Islamic Penal Code, the temporary loss of intellect at the moment of committing a crime is also accepted among these factors. This study, utilizing an analytical-descriptive approach, examines the effect of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) on the commission of crime and the determination of the criminal's punishment in the two legal systems of Iran and Canada. This particular mental illness can cause a change in personality such that the afflicted individual is incapable of recalling the said changes and, as a result, commits a crime involuntarily. In the Iranian legal system, there is no standardized forensic evidence for identifying such a condition, and claims of this nature are often rejected; consequently, the judge cannot give effect to claims lacking a substantiated basis, yet the principles of criminal justice require that the criminal's punishment be carried out. In contrast, in the Canadian legal system, which relies on modern scientific findings, the evidence for this condition is recognized, and upon its verification, the possibility exists for the perpetrator to be exempted from punishment. Emulating this approach is also feasible in Iran; provided that, upon confirmation by trusted judicial specialists, the said method of proof is placed at the disposal of the Legal Medicine Organization in the form of a regulation, and the judicial procedure is obliged to adhere to it.
Keywords
Absence of Intellect
Criminal Responsibility
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)
Legal Systems of Iran and Canada
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Journal of Legal Research
Volume 24, Issue 63
Autumn 2025
Pages 217-240