The Camberwell Study of Crime and Schizophrenia.
I report a population-based longitudinal study of all incident cases of schizophrenia (n = 538) in the London Borough of Camberwell between 1964 and 1984. The rates of criminal convictions are compared with those in a control sample representative of non-schizophrenic mental disorders matched for age, sex and period. The results show that women with schizophrenia have an increased rate of offending across all offence categories (rate ratio = 3.3). There is no overall increase for males, but a specific increase for violent convictions (rate ratio = 3.8). Looking at the risk of acquiring a first conviction, there is an independent but modest effect of schizophrenia (hazard ratio = 1.4), but the effects of gender, substance abuse, ethnicity and age at onset were more substantial.
Wessely
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Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Camberwell, London, UK.
D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data