NCJ Number
85168
Date Published
1980
Length
385 pages
Annotation
Following a summary report of a Texas study to develop criteria for the prediction of dangerousness in forensic mental patients, detailed reports associated with the study cover such topics as the mentally abnormal offender in Texas, the development of an actuarial model for prediction of dangerousness, and the incidence of mentally abnormal offenders in Texas.
Abstract
The initial phases of the study involved a review of the professional literature on dangerousness (Appendix 1) and a review of the information currently available on forensic psychiatric patients in Texas which includes an historical perspective of statutes pertaining to these patients (Appendix 2), a comparison of the characteristics of the forensic psychiatric patient population over a 10-year period (Appendix 3), and an estimate of the incidence of mentally abnormal offenders in Texas (Appendix 4). The first task undertaken was the collection of information descriptive of current forensic psychiatric patients in Texas, including demographic and psychological test information. Data were collected for comparative purposes on forensic psychiatric patients, general psychiatric patients, and correctional institution inmates. A detailed description of the procedures and results of this phase of the research is provided in Appendix 5. The last two appendixes discuss the development of an actuarial model for the prediction of dangerousness in forensic patients and results from a comparison of replication studies in Massachusetts, Illinois, and a Texas juvenile facility. Extensive tabular data accompany the presentations, along with reference citations. For individual entries, see NCJ 85169-75.