Supportive housing and forensic patient outcomes

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychiatry
• Mental Health Services Research
• Criminology

Background:

• Individuals found Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) undergo annual reviews by Review Boards in Canada.
• Conditional discharge may include residing in supportive housing to aid social reintegration.
• Forensic patients encounter significant housing access barriers due to stigma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of housing type on the clinical and criminal outcomes of forensic patients.
• To understand the role of housing in the community reintegration of individuals with NCRMD.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from a national study on NCRMD individuals in Canada.
• Focused on a random sample (n=837) of NCRMD accused in Québec under conditional discharge.
• Employed survival analysis, controlling for sociodemographic, clinical, and criminal variables.

Main Results:

• Independent housing was associated with a 2.5x higher likelihood of new offenses.
• Independent housing showed a nearly 3x higher likelihood of offenses against a person.
• Independent housing correlated with a 1.4x higher likelihood of psychiatric readmission compared to supportive housing.

Conclusions:

• Housing type significantly influences the trajectories of forensic patients.
• Supportive housing appears to be a protective factor against recidivism and psychiatric relapse.
• Findings highlight the importance of housing in managing forensic patients post-discharge.