Geographic Risk Management: A Spatial Study of Mentally Disordered Offenders Discharged from Forensic Psychiatric Care

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M. Melnychuk ◽  
Simon N. Verdun-Jones ◽  
Johann Brink
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebba Noland ◽  
Mattias Strandh ◽  
Fia Klötz Logan

Abstract Background Little is known about the recidivism of mentally disordered offenders after discharge from forensic psychiatric services. This is problematic because such knowledge could (i) help professionals who come into contact with this group to better plan interventions to prevent recidivism and (ii) clarify the effectiveness of forensic psychiatric care. The aim of this study was to investigate the new crimes of mentally disordered offenders who had been reconvicted after discharge from forensic psychiatric care. Methods Included in this study were all individuals who had been discharged from forensic psychiatric care in Sweden during 2009-2018, were included in the Swedish National Forensic Psychiatric Register, and had been reconvicted in a criminal court within the follow-up period of 2009-2018 (n=157). Retrospective registry data along with coded data from criminal judgments (n=210) were used to create a database. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results 75% of included individuals were reconvicted for at least one violent crime, but only 9 individuals were reconvicted for a serious violent crime, which can be compared to the 44 individuals with serious violent index crimes. The most common crime was “Other violent”. The most common sentence was probation. The offender’s most common relationship to the victim was having no known relationship, followed by the victim being a person of authority. The most common circumstance of the crime leading to the reconviction was that it occurred without apparent provocation; other common circumstances were related to the exercise of public authority. The most common crime scene was a public place. Conclusions Even though the reconvictions of this group included many violent crimes, there were very few serious violent crimes. The finding that the victims of the crimes of mentally disordered offenders are most commonly either unknown to the perpetrator or persons of authority, and that the crimes are often perpetrated without apparent provocation or reason, is important information for all professionals who come into contact with this group and should be taken into consideration in order to assess risk more accurately.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S584-S584
Author(s):  
L. Castelletti ◽  
F. Scarpa

IntroductionForensic psychiatric care is aimed at improving mental health and reducing the risk of recidivism of mentally ill offenders. For some mentally disordered offenders long forensic psychiatric care is required. Due to different legal framework, policies and resources in member countries, treatment programs and care provided for these subjects may vary substantially across Europe.ObjectivesCOST Action IS1302, a EU project aimed at establishing a European network of researchers, clinicians and service providers about long-term forensic psychiatric care, has involved nineteen European countries for 2013 to set the basis for comparative evaluation and research on effective treatment and the development of best practice in long-term forensic psychiatry in Europe.MethodIt is constituted by three main areas of interest and research. One group works on determination of patient characteristics, looking into prevalence, duration of stay and the most determinant characteristics of long term patients. The second area of research aims at obtaining better understanding of complex external factors that influence the poor progress of patients residing for an above average time in forensic services. Third group of research focuses on knowledge about specific needs brought about by psychiatric symptoms and how these specific needs might optimize the quality of life of patients in long term forensic psychiatric care.Results/conclusionsLaunched four years ago, the action is at its last of activities. We display features, activities and data emerging from the research conducted so far.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
I O Nnatu ◽  
F Mahomed ◽  
A Shah

The population of the elderly in most developed nations is on the increase. Furthermore, the prevalence of mental disorder amongst elderly offenders is high. The true extent of `elderly' crime is unknown because much of it goes undetected and unreported. This leads to a failure to detect mental illness in such offenders. Court diversion schemes may improve recognition of mental illness but these schemes usually tend to deal with the more severe crimes. This may result in an overestimation of the amount of serious crime committed by the elderly and a failure to detect mental illness amongst those who commit less serious crimes. Efforts to service this hidden morbidity call for multi-agency collaboration. Improved detection and reporting of crimes is essential if mental health difficulties in the elderly are not to go unnoticed. The needs of elderly mentally-disordered offenders are complex and fall within the expertise of old age and forensic psychiatry, without being adequately met by either one. Therefore, consideration should be given to the development of a tertiary specialist forensic old-age psychiatry service.


2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (03) ◽  
pp. 105-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Nelson

The development of forensic psychiatry provision in Scotland lags behind that in other parts of the United Kingdom. Until recently, there were no medium secure units in the country and mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) requiring such care had to be managed in intensive psychiatric care unit (IPCU) settings. In November 2000, The Orchard Clinic, a medium secure unit sited at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, was opened. This paper discusses the background to this development, the government policies setting out plans for the care, services and support of MDOs in Scotland, progress and work of the new unit to date and plans for developments in other parts of Scotland.


2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 105-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Nelson

The development of forensic psychiatry provision in Scotland lags behind that in other parts of the United Kingdom. Until recently, there were no medium secure units in the country and mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) requiring such care had to be managed in intensive psychiatric care unit (IPCU) settings. In November 2000, The Orchard Clinic, a medium secure unit sited at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, was opened. This paper discusses the background to this development, the government policies setting out plans for the care, services and support of MDOs in Scotland, progress and work of the new unit to date and plans for developments in other parts of Scotland.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 604-617
Author(s):  
Richard Latham ◽  
Hannah Kate Williams

Forensic psychiatry is an established medical specialty in England and Wales. Although its origins lie in the 19th century, the development of secure hospitals accelerated in the late 20th century. Services for mentally disordered offenders in the community have developed most recently and it is these services, which are the focus of this article. We have looked broadly at community services and have included criminal justice liaison and diversion services in our remit. We have also considered partnerships between health and justice agencies as well as mental health and criminal legislation. We consider the limited research evidence in relation to community forensic services and the discussion this has provoked.


Bioethics ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTIAN MUNTHE ◽  
SUSANNA RADOVIC ◽  
HENRIK ANCKARSÄTER

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 169-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth Rees ◽  
James Reed

SummaryAlthough the Representation of the People Act 2000 permits most psychiatric in-patients to register on the electoral register, transferred prisoners and those admitted to hospital under hospital orders remain disenfranchised by law. This article clarifies the voting rights of individuals receiving in-patient psychiatric care and contends that the selective disenfranchisement of some mentally disordered offenders is problematic, discriminatory and may breach international human rights law. There are therefore strong arguments for the UK government to address this long-standing inequality before the next general election.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1189
Author(s):  
Emilia Vassilopoulou ◽  
Dimitris Efthymiou ◽  
Evangelia Papatriantafyllou ◽  
Maria Markopoulou ◽  
Efthymia-Maria Sakellariou ◽  
...  

Mentally disordered offenders provided with forensic psychiatric care are often treated with second generation antipsychotic (SGA) medication and experience metabolic and inflammatory side effects. Aim: In this paper, we monitored the three-year fluctuation of selected anthropometric, biochemical, and inflammatory indices in forensic psychiatric patients receiving antipsychotic (AP) medication for more than five years, according to the type of AP. Methods: Thirty-five patients with psychotic disorders were classified into two groups based on the type of AP. Specifically: AP1, related to a lower risk, and AP2, related to an increased risk of weight gain (WG) and metabolic complications. Biochemical, hematological, anthropometric, blood pressure (BP), and medication data were retrieved from the individual medical files. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 23. Results: No significant differences in weight and glucose and cholesterol levels were observed, but patients taking AP2 more often needed drugs to control diabetes mellitus (DM), lipidemia, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In those taking AP1, the mean HDL level decreased significantly over time (p < 0.05) and a higher proportion developed higher BP (52.9% of AP1 vs. 16.7% AP2). In the AP2 group the median level of C-reactive protein (CRP) (p < 0.001) and the white blood cell count (WBC) increased over the three years (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The proposed sub-classification of SGAs into AP1 and AP2, depending on their potential for metabolic and inflammatory effects, might facilitate study of their long-term side-effects but also help in personalized prevention or treatment measures to counteract these side-effects.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document