Psychiatric disorders in prisoners referred for assessment: a preliminary study

The psychiatric profile of a consecutive series of 69 men and women prisoners referred for assessment over a nine month period was examined. Thirty-six point two percent had a major psychiatric disorder and a further 53.6% had a minor psychiatric illness. One-third of the sample had a previous criminal record, and approximately one-half had past psychiatric contacts. Schizophrenic patients with active symptoms appear to be more likely to commit violent offenses. Of ten prisoners who committed murder, nine were patients with schizophrenia. Almost all the psychotic patients had active symptoms at the time that they committed their offenses. The most probable reason for the commission of their crime was psychosis. Some underlying psychosocial factors are also discussed. Ways of minimizing the vulnerability and victimization of individuals with serious mental disorders are suggested. Because this was a highly selective sample, the results should be viewed with some caution. More research is needed to determine the criminal behaviour of the mentally ill in general, and schizophrenics in particular.