Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health最新文献

Background: Life expectancy is increasing globally. A substantial expected rise in older age groups in the population is reflected in prisons, but focus on elderly offenders remains limited compared to other age groups. This is of concern, as cognitive impairments are often present among elderly offenders, possibly affecting their behaviour, criminal responsibility and responsiveness to treatment.

Aims: The objective of this study was to explore the associations between various cognitive variables, neurological diagnosis and different types of crime by offenders of 60 years or older.

Methods: In this retrospective records-based clinical study, we used the reports about adult defendants who underwent a full forensic psychiatric evaluation at the request of the court to assess criminal responsibility for serious crime. Individuals aged 60 and over were included, resulting in a sample of 81 persons, just seven of them women. A homogeneity analysis (HOMALS) was conducted to examine the possibility of classifying such people according to cognitive and offence status.

Results: Nearly two-thirds of these people under criminal charges had some evidence of cognitive impairment. Three main neurocognitive groups were apparent: those with clear cognitive deficiencies, and usually a clinical diagnosis of dementia, those with some cognitive impairment and those with equivocal or not cognitive impairment. The first group was older and most likely to have violence charge(s), the second to be characterised by both violent and sexual charge(s) and the third more various offending, albeit including violence.

Conclusions: This first study of detailed neurocognitive assessment of older people under trial for a serious criminal offence indicates that it is important for older people charged with offences to have sound cognitive assessment, in their interests, and for planning effective management of risk of any further offending. Future studies should investigate relationships between cognitive problems and type of crime in a larger and perhaps more varied group.

Background: Previous studies have identified high rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism in incarcerated populations. Despite such findings and the potential benefits of screening for undiagnosed autism and ADHD at earlier stages of police contact, such efforts are rare.

Aims: To screen arrested individuals for ADHD and autistic traits while in police custody.

Methods: Over an 8-week period, individuals arrested and detained at six police custody centres in London, UK, were offered screening for ADHD and autistic traits. ADHD traits were assessed using a modified version of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) and autistic traits using the 10-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10). Screening was carried out in person at the custody site by a healthcare professional, designated detention officer or arresting police officer. Individuals who screened above the thresholds (≥ 21 for ASRS, ≥ 6 for AQ-10) were informed and provided additional information on how to seek a formal diagnosis.

Results: Of 303 eligible arrestees, 216 (71.3%) consented to screening. The screening tools identified 50% and 5% of arrestees without an existing diagnosis as warranting further assessment for ADHD and autism, respectively. ADHD and autism trait scores were correlated (r = 0.30, p < 0.01). Nearly 60% of individuals arrested for drug offences had an existing diagnosis or positive screening result for ADHD.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest high rates of ADHD and autistic traits in arrestees, particularly among individuals arrested for drug offences. Screening for ADHD and autism at early stages of police contact could serve as a key opportunity to identify undiagnosed individuals and inform appropriate management.

Background: Prior research indicates that mental health court graduates are more likely to be successful post-participation compared to non-completers. Therefore, it is important to understand factors associated with completion. Prior research indicates mixed results and often does not use multi-site samples, rather relying only on individual courts.

Aims: The present study examines demographic factors (race, sex and age), sociogenic factors (employment, education and housing) and criminal justice system factors (risk score, time spent in the programme and charge type) in relation to the odds of graduation from mental health courts across Texas.

Method: I used a logistic regression model to examine administrative data from 996 mental health court participants, collected by the court staff between 2016 and 2023.

Results: Hispanic participants were more likely to graduate than White participants. Those with less education, who were unemployed, and did not have permanent housing were less likely to succeed. Those who had higher recidivism risk scores were also less likely to graduate. Participant sex, age and charge type were not related to graduation status.

Conclusion: These findings help clarify the mixed prior literature surrounding the impact of race on graduation from mental health courts at least in these seven courts in Texas. Findings underscore the importance of education, employment and housing on success in mental health courts even though some prior studies do not find these factors to be associated with graduation. Texas programmes should work to improve the status of participants in these areas as they seem particularly salient in this context. Future research should be done to understand if findings would generalise outside of Texas.

Background: A considerable body of existing literature has shown links between critical thinking, moral reasoning and violence or risk of violence. Still, the psychological processes through which these deficits translate into violent behaviour remain unclear. Emerging evidence suggests that cognitive distortions may be key mechanisms, yet these pathways have rarely been tested in severe offender samples.

Aims: To examine whether cognitive distortions-specifically emotional suppression and abundant thoughts-mediate the associations between critical thinking, moral reasoning and the risk of violent behaviour.

Methods: Participants, all men, were recruited from one prison for the homicide and other violent offender groups and from the broader community for the nonviolent comparison group. Consenting participants completed standardised measures of critical thinking, moral reasoning, cognitive distortions and violence risk. Mediation analyses were then conducted to examine whether cognitive distortions accounted for the associations between reasoning abilities and violent behaviour.

Results: The final sample was of 57 men convicted of homicide, 60 of nonfatal violence and 59 wider-community-living men with no criminal history. Noncriminal men showed the highest critical thinking and moral reasoning scores, followed by violent offenders, with homicide offenders lowest. Cognitive distortions showed the reverse pattern and were strongest among homicide offenders. Stronger reasoning abilities were associated with lower violence risk, whereas greater distortions were associated with greater risk. Mediation analyses indicated that emotional suppression and abundant thoughts partly explained the associations between lower reasoning skills and both past severe violence and estimated future violence risk.

Conclusions: This study shows that emotional suppression and abundant thoughts are central mechanisms linking weaker critical and moral reasoning to violence risk, advancing prior work by identifying how these deficits translate into violent behaviour. Demonstrating these pathways in a homicide offender sample provides new evidence that cognitive distortions are crucial intervention targets. Strengthening reasoning skills alongside reducing distortion-based thinking may therefore help lower violence and recidivism.

Background: Although individuals with psychosis represent a minority of homicide perpetrators, they are overrepresented in 'overkill' cases, yet little is known about the characteristics of this specific group.

Aims: To describe the characteristics of people with psychosis who not only kill another person but also use far more force than necessary to do so.

Methods: A 10-year cross-sectional clinical chart review was conducted at two major forensic psychiatry centres in Türkiye found 183 homicide perpetrators with psychotic illness whose index offences met overkill criteria, operationalised as the infliction of violence beyond that necessary to cause death. Data on background, clinical and homicide-related factors were analysed and an exploratory cluster analysis was performed.

Results: Almost all (91%) perpetrators were men, with a mean age of 38 years and long-standing illness with impaired psychosocial functioning and prior psychiatric contact. Most usually the victim was a relative, killed in a private indoor setting with a sharp weapon, easily to hand, when the perpetrator was experiencing active psychotic symptoms. Cluster analysis confirmed two distinct subgroups: this psychosis-dominant/domestic type, but also a smaller externalising/premeditated type, these perpetrators characterised by more planning and much greater likelihood of prior involvement with crime and/or substance use and targeting peers rather than family.

Conclusion: The profile of overkill perpetrators with psychotic illness largely resembles that of people with psychosis who kill without excessive violence, but the identification of two distinct subgroups highlights important heterogeneity within this population. Given that the perpetrators had almost all been known to mental health services at some point, these findings should help focus assessments and guide risk management approaches, which, particularly for the domestic attacks, may include environmental strategies.

Background: Compared to men, women are less likely to sexual offend. Previous reviews found low rates of sexual recidivism among women. The last published meta-analysis was based on studies from before 2010.

Aims: Conduct an updated meta-analysis of the sexual recidivism rates of women returned to the community. We expected the rates to be low and to decline the longer they remained sexual offence free in the community.

Methods: Fourteen studies met selection criteria. Their publication/presentation dates ranged from 1998 to 2023. Results were presented as raw proportions as well as meta-analytic averages.

Results: Of the 4208 women, 3.1% (131) were known to have sexually reoffended. The rate was 2.4% during the first 5 years (64/2642, k = 8) and 1.1% between years 5 and 10 (6/535, k = 2). There was large and significant variability across studies (prediction intervals: < 0.001%-11%). The rates of violent recidivism (7.8%) and general (any) recidivism (30.1%) were substantially higher than the rate of sexual recidivism.

Conclusions: This review confirms previous findings that the sexual recidivism rate of women is very low. Their risk is so low that it is unlikely to be reduced by sexual crime specific treatment or public protection measures (e.g., registration and notification). Instead, gender-responsive interventions should focus on the women's risk for general criminal recidivism and strive to promote successful reintegration.