title: Characteristics of female mentally disordered offenders culpable under the new legislation in Japan: A gender comparison study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although a substantial increase in the number of female offenders has drawn interest towards understanding their unique characteristics, few studies have investigated the characteristics of female mentally disordered offenders in Japan and none since the legislation enacted in 2005 in Japan, which provided for special services for them.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to identify those characteristics of people detained under this legislation, which distinguish the women from the men and may indicate special needs among the women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective records-based study of all patients admitted to one secure unit in the 8 years since its opening in July 2005 until a census date of 31 October 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-six (15%) of the patients were women. Marriage, mood disorders, past suicide attempts and homicide were more common among the women than the men. Six of the female offender-patients had committed filicides, of which four were infanticides.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There appears to be a particularly vulnerable sub-group of women with severe mood disorders, a history of serious suicide attempts and young children at risk of harming those children. Our sample was small and from a single unit so, given the potential importance of improving understanding of who is at risk in such circumstances, extending our study nationally seems indicated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Center of Neurology & Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.|Division of Law & Psychiatry, Center for Forensic Mental Health, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.affiliation: Translational Medical Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.|Center for Clinical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Center of Neurology & Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.affiliation: Division of Law & Psychiatry, Center for Forensic Mental Health, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.|Department of Psychiatry, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shiina
authors.affiliation: Division of Law & Psychiatry, Center for Forensic Mental Health, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.|Department of Psychiatry, Chiba University Hospital, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaomi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iyo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Center of Neurology & Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Naotsugu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hirabayashi
authors.affiliation: Division of Law & Psychiatry, Center for Forensic Mental Health, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Igarashi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D057237:Criminals / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology