Criminal justice and psychiatry: a study of the pattern of criminality in Ibadan division.

Two thousand, one hundred and fifty-eight offenders committed for trial at the Ibadan Magistrate courts between 1974 and 1975 were reviewed. A preponderance of males (95.9%) and young adults (81% less than 40 years) was found in the population of the offenders. A decline in criminal offences was found with increase in age. Stealing was found to be the commonest crime and it was about half (49%) of the total offences. There were significant increases in fraud and assault between 1974 and 1975. Within the 2 years, only cases of homicide (twenty-three out of seventy-one cases) were referred for psychiatric assessment. Attempted suicide and drug abuse were not referred. It was concluded that psychiatric cases can commit any form of crime and that where the sanity of a criminal, whatever the type, is doubted, he should be referred for psychiatric evaluation.