The medico-legal status of young sex offenders: forensic psychiatric evaluations in Sweden 1988-1995.
Young sex offenders (YSOs) attract significant public and professional concern. YSOs might be perceived as more psychologically deviant or dangerous than other offenders. This study focused on how often YSOs subjected to forensic psychiatric investigation (FPI) were declared medico-legally insane as compared to young non-sex offenders and adult sex offenders. Logistic regression models were applied to data from all major FPIs performed in Sweden between 1988 and 1995 (N=4354) to explore factors affecting the likelihood of receiving a medico-legal insanity declaration. When we adjusted for the statistical effects of age, sex offender status, and psychopathology, YSOs (n=47) were three to four times more likely to be declared insane in the medico-legal sense. The results indicate that YSOs in Sweden constitute a medico-legally distinct subgroup of forensic psychiatric examinees.
Divisions of Psychosocial Factors and Health and Forensic Psychiatry, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden. Niklas.Langstrom@cnsf.ki.se
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013548:Sweden