DOES PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER PREDICT VIOLENT CRIME AMONG RELEASED JAIL DETAINEES? A SIX-YEAR LONGITUDINAL STUDY

• NCJ Number: 145727
• Author(s): L A Teplin; K M Abram; G M McClelland
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 32 pages
• Grant Number(s): 1R01MH37988; 1R01AA05884
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services; National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper examines whether or not detainees with severe mental disorders (schizophrenia and major affective disorders), substance use disorders (alcohol and drug), or psychotic symptoms (hallucinations and delusions) are arrested more often for violent crimes than detainees with no disorders.

Abstract

The postrelease period examined in the study was 6 years. Trained interviewers obtained DSM-III diagnoses on 728 randomly selected male jail detainees, using the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Researchers obtained followup arrest data for 6 years. Neither severe mental disorder nor substance abuse/dependence predicted the probability of arrest or the number of arrests for violent crime. Persons with symptoms of both hallucinations and delusions had a slightly higher number of arrests for violent crime, but not to the point of significance. The findings were consistent after controlling for prior violence and age. Overall, findings do not suport the stereotype that mentally ill criminals invariably commit violent crimes after they are released. Future research directions are suggested. 73 references and 3 tables