Demonic Possession in Criminology, A Discussion.

A "demonic possession" defense in criminal law refers to a defendant claiming that they were not responsible for their actions during a crime because they were possessed by a demonic entity, essentially arguing that the devil "made them do it"; however, this defense is almost always unsuccessful in court as it is considered legally unprovable and not a valid excuse for criminal behavior, with the famous "Arne Cheyenne Johnson case" being the only known instance where it was attempted in the United States.

We must first recognize the reality of the demonic. The Bible is clear about this. All you have to do is read the gospel accounts of Christ’s numerous encounters with demons (e.g., Matt. 4:22, 24; 7:22; 8:16, 31; 9:33-34; 10:8; 12:24ff; 15:22; 17:18). Moreover, a cursory survey of these passages reveals that demon-possession is real. But on the other hand, these same passages inform us that Jesus not only cast out demons from those who were possessed, but that he healed “the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics” (Matt. 4:24). In other words, there were those with numerous afflictions, both spiritual and physical. Take for instance the fact that Matthew records that Christ healed epileptics but in addition healed those who were demon possessed. These were, according to Matthew’s account, two different classes of people in need of healing. By way of contrast, there were those who were demon-possessed who were gripped by epileptic-like seizures (e.g., Mark 9:18). This is to say, not all epileptics were demon-possessed and not all demon-possessed people were epileptics. The Scriptures appear to recognize the fact that some epileptics suffered from a medical condition (Matt. 4:24), while others suffered from a spiritual malady (i.e., demon possession, Matt. 17:14-18).

Historical Perspective

As an explanation of criminal behavior, "spiritualism" emphasized the conflict between absolute good and absolute evil set in a metaphysical context. People who committed crimes were thought to be possessed by evil spirits, often referred to as demons. The Classical School of criminology posited that criminality may be chosen or rejected based upon each individual's action of free will. The most significant difference between the Classical School and the subsequent Positivist School is the latter's search for empirical facts to confirm the idea that crime is determined by multiple factors. The modern search for multi-factual explanations of crime is usually attributed to Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909). The most obvious orientation displayed by positivists of the mid-19th century through the first quarter of the 20th century was their placement of crime causes primarily within individual offenders, most notably in their biological constitution and processes. This led to the practices of sterilization and psychosurgery on targeted "high risk" populations in the United States even until well into the 1970's. Policies based on theories must be recognized as being a mixture of empirically based and socially and culturally based influences.

Demonological Theory:

Who is the criminal? Demonological theory would tell you he is a man possessed. This medieval definition painted him as a sinner taken over by demons that work to manifest in him the evil root of humanity. Crime here is seen as mystic and felonies as mortal sins. To medieval societies, the Old Testament seemed to support this notion that humans are innately sinful with the concept of ‘original sin’ as inherited by Adam. If criminals are simply human beings who cannot control their demonic possession, then they are subject entirely to the supernatural. For this reason, punishments to criminals often were based on divine interference. Accused witches during the Salem Witch Trials would be put to dangerous tests and if they survived them, then god wanted them to live.