Patterns of recidivism and relapse among groups of mentally disordered offenders (original) (raw)

The clinical profile of high-risk mentally disordered offenders

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2013

The clinical profile of high-risk mentally disordered offenders IDEA group 1 2 3 Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be selfarchived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your article, please use the accepted manuscript version for posting on your own website. You may further deposit the accepted manuscript version in any repository, provided it is only made publicly available 12 months after official publication or later and provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication and a link is inserted to the published article on Springer's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The final publication is available at link.springer.com".

Treating offenders with mental illness: A research synthesis

2012

The purpose of this research synthesis was to examine treatment effects across studies of the service providers to offenders with mental illness. Meta-analytic techniques were applied to 26 empirical studies obtained from a review of 12,154 research documents. Outcomes of interest in this review included measures of both psychiatric and criminal functioning. Although meta-analytic results are based on a small sample of available studies, results suggest interventions with offenders with mental illness effectively reduced symptoms of distress, improving offender's ability to cope with their problems, and resulted in improved behavioral markers including institutional adjustment and behavioral functioning. Furthermore, interventions specifically designed to meet the psychiatric and criminal justice needs of offenders with mental illness have shown to produce significant reductions in psychiatric and criminal recidivism. Finally, this review highlighted admission policies and treatment strategies (e.g., use of homework), which produced the most positive benefits. Results of this research synthesis are directly relevant for service providers in both criminal justice and mental health systems (e.g., psychiatric hospitals) as well as community settings by informing treatment strategies for the first time, which are based on empirical evidence. In addition, the implications of these results to policy makers tasked with the responsibility of designating services for this special needs population are highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). (journal abstract)

The treatment of mentally disordered offenders: a national survey of psychiatrists

The Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 1992

A nationwide (U.S.) survey of major public mental hospitals treating patients who are incompetent for trial, not guilty by reason of insanity, mentally disordered sex offenders, or mentally ill inmates was conducted. Responses were received from 71 percent of the 115 facilities surveyed. Respondents were the directors of psychiatry from the respective facilities. The pattern of treatments delivered generally appeared clinically appropriate. However, behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments were reported infrequently, even in areas in which they would be particularly useful.

Assessment of the criminal recidivism among individuals with mental disorders

Prilozi, 2010

Epidemiological studies conducted in various regions through the world point to an increased risk of violence among individuals with mental disorders. Violent behaviour occurs in a certain social system that involves a whole person with a certain history of life, with a certain state of health or disease, and interaction with other socal circumastances. There are different methods of risk assessment, but basically two broad categories of methods determine assessment of the risk: clinical and statistical. The main purpose of the investigation is by using the statistical scale to determine risk factors of a psychopathological and social nature as well as individual traits that determine violent behaviour. The investigation has been conducted in psychiatric hospitals in Macedonia. The experimental group--perpetrators of a criminal act (PCA)--encompasses 89 patients, admitted to psychiatric hospitals in Macedonia as forensic patients. These patients have committed criminal acts. Accordi...

A Path Not Taken? Mentally Disordered Offenders and the Criminal Justice System

Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 2007

The long stated aim of Government policy has been to divert mentally disordered offenders from the Criminal Justice system to services where their mental health needs can be adequately addressed. An examination of the rates of mental disorder amongst those appearing before the Courts and in the prison population shows that this policy is not achieving its stated aims. This article considers two elements of possible Police and social work involvement to examine the cultural shifts that are required to make this policy more effective.

A review of offenders remanded in a State Psychiatric Hospital

Singapore medical journal, 2000

Patients remanded over a two-year period to Woodbridge Hospital by Court Order were studied retrospectively. Schizophrenia was the most common diagnosis, theft and robbery the most prevalent offences. Males greatly outnumbered females. There were important gender differences, with males tending to commit sexual offences and females, theft and mischief. Males were less likely to be acquainted with their victims but those who caused hurt were more likely to know their victims. Outrage of modesty and theft were more likely to be committed against strangers. The reconviction rate was 26%, with repeat offenders more likely to commit sexual offences and theft. Patients who had previous psychiatric hospitalisation were more likely to be attending follow-up prior to and after release from remand and were more likely to have schizophrenia. Those assessed to be fit to plead were either fined or given jail sentences. Unsoundness of mind and unfitness to plead were associated with further reman...

A Comparison of Mentally Disordered Male Offenders with and without a Sexual Offence: Their Characteristics and Outcome 1

Aim/Background: Among sex offenders, those with a co-occurring mental disorder requiring psychiatric hospitalization form a small but important subgroup that has received little empirical investigation in the UK. We compared their characteristics on hospital admission and their course after discharge with mentally disordered offenders without a sexual offence who were discharged from the same medium secure hospital. Materials/Method: All first-time admissions to a medium secure hospital in the UK over a 20 year period were examined. The sample of 502 mentally disordered men were subdivided into those with and without a sexual offence (MDSOs and Non-MDSOs respectively) and their characteristics on 14 admission variables compared. The outcome of these two groups was also investigated in respect to mortality and readmission rates , in addition to their reconviction rates for sexual and other types of offences. Results: The mean length of the follow-up was 9 years. The two groups were broadly similar in their admission characteristics. Both groups were also similar in their rates of mortality (c. 9%) and readmission (c. 60%) during the follow-up. While the rates of reconviction were similar for any offence and for violent offending in both the sex offending and non-sex offending groups (45.7% and 23.5% and 51.1% and 25.1% respectively), the rates for a reconviction of a sexual offence was greater in the former (17.3% and 2.4% respectively). Conclusions: This study confirms that MDSOs behaved in a way that is suggested by the general criminological literature, namely that (a) they were similar in their background characteristics (i.e. an absence of specialisation in their offending) and (b) their pattern of general and violent re-offending was similar to mentally disordered offenders without a sexual offence. In contrast however, the MDSOs were much more likely to re-offend sexually.

The Convergence of the Mentally Disordered and the Jail Population

This paper addresses the prevalence and implications of the mentally ill, developmentally disabled, substance abuser, and other mentally impaired offenders in the jail system. Drawing on data from a jail's central intake screening system, the authors argue for more systematic attention by service providers in the community and criminal justice personnel to the disabling conditions that may precipitate and reinforce criminal behavior. Differential responses to these special needs or "pseudo-offenders" are recommended.