Forensic psychiatric in-patient facilities pose low threat to local community

A UK-based study has found that medium-security forensic psychiatric in-patient facilities have no measurable impact on serious crime rates of their local communities.Secure forensic psychiatric in-patient facilities are used to assess, treat, and rehabilitate offenders who are mentally disordered. The existence of units located within the local community has raised questions as to the risk posed by their in-patients to the general community. In a UK-based study, Gradillas et al. sought to determine the nature and level of risk posed by in-patients of medium security units (MSUs) to their local communities.The authors studied four MSUs between 1998 and 2002 and reviewed comprehensive information about serious untoward incident (SUI) reports (which included verbal aggression, physical aggression, indecent exposure, arson, acquisitive, and sexual inappropriateness) for the four facilities for this time period. The study assessed 833 patient years, with an averaged range of admissions of between 12-42 per year, and an average duration of each admission of between 546 and 912 days. During the study period there were 35 recorded SUIs, which corresponded to 1 SUI/23.8 beds/year, and of 178 absconsions, 13 were associated with an SUI (7.3%). No patients were convicted of a violent or sexual crime during the study period. "Our results clearly demonstrate that the MSUs in this study do not have a measurable impact on serious crime rates in their local communities," the authors stated. However, they stress that the study sample is not a national representation. They concluded that MSUs can successfully manage the risk posed by their in-patients to local communities."Acts of severe violence committed by mentally ill patients are rare but are a source of understandable distress for victims and their relatives. However, the public should be made aware that the development of secure forensic in-patient facilities is vital in providing humane and effective treatment of the mentally ill," they asserted.Reference...