Alcohol concentration and the ability to form intent.

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/16686270

Download in:

View as

General Info

Authors

Levine B, Moore KA, Fowles C, Titus JM

Affiliation

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland, Baltimore 21201, USA.

Abstract

The ability to form intent to commit a particular act is often a significant issue in criminal litigation. Often, a complicating factor in the resolution of this issue is the presence of ethanol and drugs in the individual whose motives are to be ascertained. To determine whether an intoxicating blood ethanol concentration (BAC) in the absence of other information is sufficient to establish intent, we reviewed cases investigated by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of Maryland over a two-year period. Specifically, we identified cases of suicide with a suicide note, the presence of ethanol and the absence of other psychoactive drugs. The BACs ranged from 0.01 to 0.37 g/dL. The average BAC was 0.14 g/dL and the median BAC was 0.13 g/dL. Twenty-five of the 37 cases had a BAC greater than 0.08 g/dL. We conclude that a BAC alone is not sufficient to determine the capability of an individual to form intent to commit a particular act.

PMID
16686270

MESH Terms

Substances