Bjørn Gericke1, Thomas W Kallert. 1. Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus an der Technischen Universität Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307 Dresden. bjoern.gericke@mailbox.tu-dresden.de
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview on the increase of forensic psychiatric hospitalizations in Saxony, and present findings on criminal conviction and recidivism rates of 277 criminal offenders ordered to a forensic psychiatric facility caring for addictive disorders between 1996 and 2001. METHODS: Cluster- and regression-analytic procedures identified predictive variables for declaring the forensic psychiatric hospitalization as useless, and for relevant criminal offences after discharge. RESULTS: About 85 % of the study sample showed more than four offences and more than 1.5 years of imprisonment before admission to the index-treatment episode. About half of the patients was successfully treated as indicated by being released on licence. Socialization in institutions, social disintegration before admission, and absconding during the index-treatment episode are important factors increasing the probability of declaring the hospitalization as useless. In the 2-year observation period, the criminal recidivism rate was 40.0 %. CONCLUSIONS: Social reintegration of this group of mentally disordered criminal offenders is as difficult as important. Findings on recidivism rates indicate a need for extending the number of specialized forensic outpatient departments and a need to focus on primary prevention.
OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview on the increase of forensic psychiatric hospitalizations in Saxony, and present findings on criminal conviction and recidivism rates of 277 criminal offenders ordered to a forensic psychiatric facility caring for addictive disorders between 1996 and 2001. METHODS: Cluster- and regression-analytic procedures identified predictive variables for declaring the forensic psychiatric hospitalization as useless, and for relevant criminal offences after discharge. RESULTS: About 85 % of the study sample showed more than four offences and more than 1.5 years of imprisonment before admission to the index-treatment episode. About half of the patients was successfully treated as indicated by being released on licence. Socialization in institutions, social disintegration before admission, and absconding during the index-treatment episode are important factors increasing the probability of declaring the hospitalization as useless. In the 2-year observation period, the criminal recidivism rate was 40.0 %. CONCLUSIONS: Social reintegration of this group of mentally disordered criminal offenders is as difficult as important. Findings on recidivism rates indicate a need for extending the number of specialized forensic outpatient departments and a need to focus on primary prevention.