Comprehensiveness and Context of Psychiatric Reports Submitted to Review Boards in Cases of People Found Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder

Abstract

Recent research suggests that empirically validated risk factors for persons found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD) are rarely mentioned by clinicians in reports for Review Boards in Canada. This study aims to better understand this observation by examining the styles of clinical reports (i.e., types of report according to their comprehensiveness and their content) and the contextual factors associated with them. To identify styles of reports, mentions of risk factors within reports were subjected to a series of latent class analyses. Regression analyses were then carried out to identify which contextual factors (characteristics related to the person found NCRMD, the timing of the report, and the clinical team/care setting) were significantly associated with the styles of reports. Findings revealed four styles of reports which were also correlated to contextual factors, some unrelated to the risk of violence and/or reoffending for the person found NCRMD. These results reinforce the need to implement evidence-based practices in forensic risk assessment and management.