title: Supportive housing and forensic patient outcomes.
abstract: In Canada, Review Boards are mandated to evaluate individuals found Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) on an annual basis and render 1 of 3 dispositions: (a) custody, (b) conditional discharge, or (c) absolute discharge. To promote social reintegration, conditional discharge can be ordered with the condition to live in supportive housing. However, NCRMD accused face great barriers to housing access as a result of the stigma associated with the forensic label. The goal of this study was to evaluate the role of housing in the clinical and criminal trajectories of forensic patients as they reintegrate into the community. Data for this study were extracted from a national study of individuals found NCRMD in Canada (Crocker, Nicholls, Seto, Côté, et al., in press). The present study focuses on a random sample of NCRMD accused in the province of Québec, who were under a conditional discharge disposition during the study period (n = 837). Controlling for sociodemographic, clinical, and criminal variables, survival analysis showed that individuals placed in independent housing following a conditional discharge from the Review Board were 2.5 times more likely to commit a new offense, nearly 3 times more likely to commit an offense against a person, and 1.4 times more likely to be readmitted for psychiatric treatment compared with individuals residing in supportive housing. These results point to the influence housing can have on the trajectories of forensic patients, above and beyond a range of clinical, criminological, and sociodemographic factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salem
authors.affiliation: Douglas Mental Health University Institute.
authors.forename: Anne G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Crocker
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Université de Montréal.
authors.forename: Yanick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Charette
authors.affiliation: Forensic Mental Health Research Unit, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Seto
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia.
authors.forename: Tonia L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Nicholls
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Côté
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011792:Quebec; D055815:Young Adult