[Stalking and crimes of passion : Discussion of a case example on ex-partner stalking]

Forensic scientists have proposed various evaluation criteria for assessing the criminal responsibility in violent acts against relationship partners under exceptional affective circumstances. Of particular importance, apart from the offender's condition at the time of the offence, are the previous history and the background of the relationship. Although each individual case requires special weighting of the individual aspects, the clinical judgment must always be based on an overall view of the offender and the crime. This article investigates the question of the extent to which empirical findings from stalking research can contribute to the assessment of crimes of passion.