Importance of sexologist’s expertise for assessing sanity of perpetrators of major sexual crimes

Abstract

The article presents rules of cooperation between expert sexologists and expert psychiatrists within diagnosing sanity of perpetrators of major sex crimes. The legal ground for expertise of state of perpetrator’s mental health was described, with special emphasis on the procedural regulations of participation in such an examination of the expert sexologist when the accused has potential disorder of sexual preferences. Types of expertise conducted by specialists in these fields were shown, including complex expertise and separate expertise incorporated in the main opinion. The ways, in which sexologist’s expertise may influence the final diagnosis of offender’s mental state were presented. The examples were shown of different types of expertise from case files where legal proceedings in Polish courts were finished, presenting conclusions from sexologists’ and psychiatrists’ opinions.