Qualitative Analysis of the Foundations and Scope of Criminal Liability in the Commission of Crimes Caused by Restless Legs Syndrome: the Interaction of Neuromotor Disorder with the Elements of Fault and Attributability

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Zahra Enalouy Esfahani
Master's student in Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Virtual Education, University of Qom, Qom, Iran
10.22034/lc.2026.595475.1804
Abstract
Restless Legs Syndrome is far more than a simple neuromotor disorder; it is a borderline phenomenon at the intersection of neuroscience and criminal law that can seriously challenge the traditional elements of criminal liability. This qualitative study, through the analysis of international judicial decisions and recent findings in neuroscience, argues that this syndrome affects attribution through two independent pathways: the first pathway operates through the behavioral side effects of dopamine agonist drugs which lead to impulse control disorders and compulsive behaviors such as pathological gambling, compulsive shopping, or high-risk sexual behaviors; and the second pathway operates through chronic insomnia caused by the disease itself, which severely reduces frontal lobe function and response inhibition capacity, replacing deliberative will with emotional and immediate decision-making. The findings of this study indicate that in Iranian criminal law, RLS cannot be considered a cause of complete exoneration from liability; however, citing Article 156 of the Islamic Penal Code and the general principles of criminal justice, it can be regarded as a decisive mitigating factor or as a cause of relative exoneration from liability. The final finding is that convicting a patient with RLS without a specialized threefold evaluation is not only unjust but also clearly contradicts the corrective goals of punishment and the principle of human dignity, and it necessitates the individualization of punishment and the application of alternative sanctions as an undeniable necessity in the criminal justice system.
Keywords
Criminal Liability
Restless Legs Syndrome
Dopamine Agonist
Impulse Control Disorder
Causes of Liability
Subjects