Psychopaths as the 'New Danger' to Socialist Society: Forensic Psychiatry, Criminology, and Crime in the Czechoslovakia of the 1960s

Résumé En

In 1971, the annual Czechoslovak forensic psychiatric conference took place in the mountain town of Špindlerův Mlýn. Psychiatrists from all around the country met to discuss current issues in the field. One major topic emerged from the discussions: psychopathy and recidivism as the 'new danger' to Czechoslovakia's socialist society. Whereas before, the interpretation of crime and mental illness was based on biological explanations, the conference highlighted a new approach towards 'insane' crimes. Psychiatrists and forensic experts began to apply psychological and sociological concepts such as 'dysfunctional family background' to describe the roots of 'deviant' criminal behaviour. This paper examines the 'rise of psychopathy' as an object of forensic psychiatry and its relation to changes in the perception of crime in post-Stalinist Czechoslovakia. The article is divided into three main parts: first, it deals with the development of the concept of 'criminal psychopathy' in the field of forensic psychiatry; second, it focuses on the role of forensic psychiatrists in criminal trials, using the example of the case of Jaroslav Papež, a notorious sex offender and recidivist; and third, it examines the different ways psychopathy was approached and treated by forensic psychiatrists and criminologists.