Offenders with mental illness have criminogenic needs, too: Toward recidivism reduction.

Abstract

Many programs for offenders with mental illness (OMIs) seem to assume that serious mental illness directly causes criminal justice involvement. To help evaluate this assumption, we assessed a matched sample of 221 parolees with and without mental illness and then followed them for over 1 year to track recidivism. First, compared with their relatively healthy counterparts, OMIs were equally likely to be rearrested, but were more likely to return to prison custody. Second, beyond risk factors unique to mental illness (e.g., acute symptoms; operationalized with part of the Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20; Webster, Douglas, Eaves, & Hart, 1997), OMIs also had significantly more general risk factors for recidivism (e.g., antisocial pattern; operationalized with the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory; Andrews, Bonta, & Wormith, 2004) than offenders without mental illness. Third, these general risk factors significantly predicted recidivism, with no incremental utility added by risk factors unique to mental illness. Implications for broadening the policy model to explicitly target general risk factors for recidivism such as antisocial traits are discussed.

The Mediating Effect of Psychopathic Personality Disorder as a Pathway to Recidivism

“…Indeed, the direct effect of criminal associates towards recidivism has been widely documented [36,[41][42][43]. However, in contrast to the vast previous studies associate influence in the current study confirmed its indirect effect on recidivism through psychopathic personality.…”

“…Criminal attitude in the current study denotes feelings that organize the actor's decision to act and behave towards a person, thing or action [33]. In other words, criminologic cognition embed antisocial cognition including attitudes, values, and thinking styles that is supportive of crime such as misperceiving benign remarks as threats and demanding instant gratification [34][35][36][37].…”

The effect of the Quran recitation on mental health of the Iranian medical staff

“…Concerning the etiology of this disorder, the spiritual perspective as well as biological, psychological and social views is universally accepted. [4][5][6] Religious teachings are useful tools for the human beings, which result in better and more transcendent understanding of life and eventually cause satisfaction in their lives and jobs. [7][8][9] Connection with God, can be a different experience in dealing with anxiety and depression, exerting positive results.…”

Methodological development of the Hoeven Outcome Monitor (HOM): A first step towards a more evidence based medicine in forensic mental health

“…Furthermore, contrary to the field of FMH wherein treatment is focused upon reduction of re-offending behaviour, in the GMH setting treatment is focused upon reduction of disorder related symptoms. Scientific research, predominantly studies into recidivism, has shown that the offender's mental disorder and his risk of re-offending are not always causally linked and that this "direct cause model" rests on little empirical support (Andrews & Bonta, 2010;Skeem, Winter, Kennealy, Louden & Tatar, 2014). Instead, release policies should be based on level of risk (Andrews & Bonta, 2010;Quinsey et al, 2006;Webster & Hucker, 2007).…”

“…More empirical data into patients' characteristics, evaluation and aetiology in forensic psychiatry is needed to substantiate interdisciplinary plans of care to design specific offender programmes to further reduce re-offending behaviour (Andrews & Bonta, 2010;Hodgins, 2001). Moreover, in regard to the wide-ranging attention to compulsory treatment in politics and media, it is important to categorize the risk of serious recidivism into subgroups or disorders to show that there is no such thing as 'the criminally insane patient', which renders generic policy measures that are seldom effective (Keune & Van Binsbergen, 2012;Skeem et al, 2014). A multicentre approach would provide more evidence as a basis to steer less in terms of safety measures and more in terms of best evidence treatment programmes.…”