Does mental health treatment reduce recidivism among offenders with a psychotic illness?

Abstract

Prison inmate health surveys consistently show high proportions of prisoners have mental health problems; however, scholarly opinion is divided on the contribution of mental illness to offending. Some contend that mental illness is not a cause of offending and that mental health treatment will not reduce offending. Others maintain mental health treatment can reduce the risk of offending among persons with a significant mental illness. In this article we report the results of a rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of mental health treatment in reducing offending amongst a cohort of defendants with a diagnosis of psychosis. We find evidence that the provision of mental health treatment to defendants with a psychotic illness does significantly reduce the risk of further offending.

Psychiatric illness and the risk of reoffending: recurrent event analysis for an Australian birth cohort

“…Further, it is possible that individuals with more severe and complex presentations receive increased services to address the severity and complexity of their psychiatric presentations, that may serve to reduce their risk of reoffending. This would be consistent with evidence demonstrating that effective treatment of psychiatric illness can be effective in reducing the risk of reoffending [ 36 ]. However, our data were unable to provide insight into such mechanisms.…”

“…The findings also emphasise that more intensive social and mental health services may be needed for individuals with psychiatric disorders in their 20s when rates of reoffending accelerate. There is building evidence that targeted programs and diversionary strategies can be effective in reducing reoffending rates for offenders with psychotic illnesses [ 34 – 36 ]. Further, therapeutic communities and interventions facilitating continuity of care in community settings show promise in reducing reoffending for prisoners with psychiatric illness [ 37 ].…”

A Systematic Review of Interpersonal Violence Perpetration and Victimization Risk Examined Within Single Study Cohorts, Including in Relation to Mental Illness

“…Importantly, future evaluations of interventions for those with mental illness should include victimization as an outcome variable, just as perpetration risk is commonly considered (Fazel & Sariaslan, 2021). As for violence perpetration prevention, other recent research suggests that some treatments are effective at reducing risk of criminal offending (e.g., clozapine and other mental health treatment for patients with psychotic disorders; Bhavsar et al, 2020; Weatherburn et al, 2021). In addition to benefiting society as a whole, preventing violence perpetrated by individuals with mental illness would significantly reduce overall government costs.…”

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among sentenced prisoners in a medium security prison in Ghana: Implications for mental health assessment and service

“…This association may be due to challenges post release such as housing, employment, socio‐economic factors, lack of family support, lack of structure and meaningful routine, and lack of opportunities for rehabilitation may contribute to the cycle of repeat offending and reincarceration. The risk of reoffenders with psychiatric disorders reoffending reduces when they participate in mental health courts or treatment (McNiel et al., 2015; Weatherburn et al., 2021). There is evidence showing an association between psychiatric or mental disorders and risk of offending (Morgan et al., 2013).…”