People with learning disabilities in a low secure in-patient unit: comparison of offenders and non-offenders.
BACKGROUND
People with learning disability who exhibit challenging behaviour are frequently segregated from services and local teams are often reluctant to receive them back into their care. This situation is worse in those whose challenging behaviour includes a forensic history, but the difference between those labelled as challenging and those treated as offenders is not clear, and there is a lack of evidence about treatment effectiveness.


OBJECTIVE
To test between-group differences in aggression and treatment outcome in people with learning disability and challenging behaviour, with and without a forensic history.


METHODS
Clinical records of 86 former in-patients (45 offenders and 41 non-offenders) of a specialist unit were compared on measures of behavioural disturbance and placement outcome.


RESULTS
People in the offenders group were significantly less likely to be aggressive to others and to use weapons, but significantly more likely to harm themselves compared with the non-offenders group. Both groups had a significant reduction in their challenging behaviour during admission, and there was no significant difference in treatment outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
The negative reputation of people with learning disabilities who offend needs to be reconsidered.
Reed
Suzie
S
Maudsley Centre for Behavioural Disorders, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, and Health Services Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK. S.Reed@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Russell
Ailsa
A
Xenitidis
Kiriakos
K
Murphy
Declan G M
DG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology