NCJ Number
152460
Journal
Journal of Forensic Psychiatry Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (May 1994) Pages: 151-159
Date Published
1994
Length
9 pages
Annotation
In Sweden, research has shown that rapists sentenced to prison are less likely to reoffend than those sentenced to psychiatric care.
Abstract
The sample in this study included 44 men who were convicted of rape or attempted rape in Stockholm between 1985 and 1988. Fifteen of the men were judged to be insane and another four to be suffering from mental disorders equivalent to insanity; 17 were sentenced to compulsory psychiatric care, 23 to prison, and four to preventive detention. Thirty percent of the total sample committed another crime, but only one was convicted of another sexual offense. There was no appreciable difference in terms of recidivism between those sentenced to prison and those to psychiatric care. An additional analysis, which examined the national background of the sample, 43 percent of whom were foreign citizens, found that immigrants from non-European backgrounds tended to be more educated and less prone to substance abuse, had less experience with psychiatric care, were less likely to have a prior criminal record, and had lower recidivism rates. 2 tables and 31 references