Combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder and criminal responsibility determinations in the post-iraq era: a...

Since 2002, hundreds of thousands of United States troops have returned from the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters, many after multiple deployments. The high suicide rate and high prevalence of mood disorders, substance use disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in this population have been widely reported. Many returning soldiers have had difficulty adjusting to civilian life, and some have incurred legal charges. In this article, I review the prevalence and legal implications of combat-related PTSD in this population, including how symptoms of PTSD may be relevant in criminal responsibility determinations in jurisdictions that use a M'Naughten standard or American Law Institute (ALI) Model Penal Code test for criminal responsibility. Finally, an actual case in which a criminal defendant was found to lack criminal responsibility in a M'Naughten jurisdiction because of PTSD symptoms at the time of the alleged offense will be presented.