[Characteristics in a sample of criminal mental hospital (Castiglione delle Stiviere) inmates discharged in the Lazio region].
AIM. The aim of this study was: (i) To identify socio-demographic and clinical data in a sample of inmates in the Criminal Mental Hospital (CMH) at Castiglione delle Stiviere; (ii) to assess the presence of characteristics which could foresee the commission of a crime of psychiatric interest; (iii) to assess the frequency of crime repetition.


METHODS
This study was carried out on a sample of 38 patients. A descriptive analysis of the sample was carried out and the associations among several variables were analyzed.


RESULTS
The sample is characterized by a high frequency of schizophrenia diagnosis (73.0%), the presence of hospitalization before the commission of the crime (68.4%) and the absence of criminal precedents (71.1%). For men the age of the commission of the crime is equal to 33.72 +/- 10.6 years and for women to 45.18 +/- 11.4 years (p = 0.011). The time between the onset and the commission of the crime is longer in patients who have received therapy (treatment) than in those ones with no treatment (p = 0.012). About 12% of the sample committed new crimes.


CONCLUSIONS
The results showed previous criminal acts are not predictive for the commission of new crimes of psychiatric interest. However many patients had previous contacts with community facilities before their first admission to hospital and the treatment extended the interval between the onset of the disease and the commission of the crime. The relapse rate after the discharge was very low if compared with samples coming from other services that offered more custodial rather than rehabilitative facilities.
Cerboneschi
Annalisa
A
UOD Psicoterapia Villa Tiburtina, Dipartimento di Scienze Psichiatriche e Medicina Psicologica, Sapienza Università di Roma.
Bensi
Marco
M
Brandizzi
Martina
M
Dario
Claudia
C
Fagioli
Marcella
M
Fiori Nastro
Paolo
P
D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011329:Prisoners