NCJ Number
123713
Journal
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry Volume: 12 Issue: 2/3 Dated: (1989) Pages: 189-201
Date Published
1989
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study obtained information on the 6-year criminal and mental health "careers" of the 1979 cohort assessed at the Metropolitan Toronto Forensic Service (METFORS).
Abstract
Most of the subjects were referred to METFORS during the pretrial stage in their court proceedings, and 75 percent were judged fit to stand trial. In the course of the 6-year period following their 1979 assessment, 98 percent of the 195 subjects had some further contact with the criminal justice system and/or mental health system. This percentage includes inpatient assessments arising from charges which prompted the original evaluation. It also reflects a variety of institutional contacts ranging from a brief drop-in at a psychiatric hospital to an extended period of incarceration at a Federal penitentiary. A sizeable majority of the cohort experienced repetitive cycles of institutionalization. The authors call for a coordinated plan for the followup treatment of forensic clients. 2 figures, 25 references.