NCJ Number
147460
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 37 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1993) Pages: 331-337
Date Published
1993
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This case report describes the murder of a male psychiatric inpatient by a fellow inpatient. The incident occurred in a mental institution ward in Italy in September 1979.
Abstract
This case illustrates many interacting factors determining violent episodes in the setting of a psychiatric hospital. Risk factors can be categorized as patient characteristics, the patterns of ward usage, and the ward environment. This case involved a young male psychotic patient with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, a history of violence, and, at the time of the homicide, reduced neuroleptic therapy. While the offender did not share with his victim a reciprocal aggressive potential, he did display other characteristics noted in the literature, including paranoid and depressive symptoms, preoccupation with the dead, and loosening of ego boundaries. This particular case occurred because at the time, Italian legislation did not permit the authorities to take necessary steps to prevent the violence, even though the attending psychiatrist accurately identified his patient's potential dangerousness. 23 references