The Impact of Prefrontal Cortex Dysfunction on Criminal Responsibility in the Crime of Intentional Murder

Significant advances in cognitive neuroscience over recent decades have fundamentally challenged traditional legal paradigms by raising profound questions regarding the foundations of criminal responsibility. One of the central issues in this field concerns the impact of neurocognitive impairments on criminal liability. The prefrontal cortex, as the core neural substrate responsible for emotion regulation, impulse control, planning, and moral judgment, plays a pivotal role in the psychological foundations of moral and legal responsibility. Employing a descriptive analytical approach and a library-based research method, this study examines how dysfunctions in different regions of the prefrontal cortex particularly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex may weaken or disrupt the constituent elements of criminal intent and volition in the crime of intentional murder. The findings indicate that such dysfunctions can lead to diminished inhibitory control, impaired anticipation of consequences, and deficits in emotional processing, all of which constitute essential components of both general and specific criminal intents. An analysis of the Islamic Penal Code of 2013 demonstrates that although the Iranian criminal justice system does not explicitly refer to neuroscientific foundations, concepts such as reason and free will, as articulated in the provisions governing criminal responsibility, possess the capacity to be interpreted in light of contemporary neuroscientific findings. Ultimately, this article advocates a reconsideration of traditional criteria for assessing criminal intent and calls for greater attention to scientific evidence within the judicial decision-making process.