The relationship between mental disorders and different types of crime

ABSTRACT Background Previous studies of relationships between mental disorder and crime have tended to group the mental disorders, the crimes or both, leaving uncertainty about a more specific mental disorder: crime relationships. Objective To examine the relationship between types of mental disorde...

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Published in:Criminal behaviour and mental health 2011-12, Vol.21 (5), p.307-320
Main Authors: Vinkers, David J., de Beurs, Edwin, Barendregt, Marko, Rinne, Thomas, Hoek, Hans W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accountability
Adolescent
Adult
Analysis of Variance
Arson
Chi-Square Distribution
Correlation analysis
Crime
Crime - classification
Crime - psychology
Crime - statistics & numerical data
Criminal Psychology
Defendants
Female
Forensic psychiatry
Forensic Psychiatry - methods
Humans
Male
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - classification
Mental Disorders - epidemiology
Netherlands - epidemiology
Psychiatric disorders
Retrospective Studies
Sexual assault
Social Responsibility
Young Adult
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Summary:ABSTRACT Background Previous studies of relationships between mental disorder and crime have tended to group the mental disorders, the crimes or both, leaving uncertainty about a more specific mental disorder: crime relationships. Objective To examine the relationship between types of mental disorder and types of crime in pre‐trial defendants. Method Data were extracted from 21,424 pre‐trial forensic psychiatric reports made between 2000 and 2006 in the Netherlands. We compared the prevalence of axis I disorders, personality disorders, intellectual functioning and substance abuse in defendants charged with a range of crimes (homicide, attempted/threatened homicide, assault, battery, rape, sexual crimes, arson and/or property crimes) using chi‐square tests. Relationships with diminished accountability, reflecting a direct relationship with underlying mental disorder, were calculated using multivariate regression models, adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity and history of judicial contact. Results Arson had the strongest relationship with mental disorders in our sample, then assaults, then homicidal attempts or threats. Sexual and property crimes had the weakest relationship with diminished or absent accountability. Diminished accountability had the strongest relationship with psychotic disorders, followed by organic psychosyndromes and developmental disorders, whereas other axis I disorders, personality disorders or an IQ score of
ISSN:0957-9664
1471-2857
DOI:10.1002/cbm.819