Abstract
Psychiatric patients often break society's rules and find themselves before the courts. Sometimes an offence is the first sign of mental illness. The coincidence of mental disorder and an offence complicates both assessment and management, but particularly the latter.
Highlights
Psychiatric patients often break society's rules and find themselves before the courts
Sometimes an offence is the first sign of mental illness
After 1807, with the development of the county asylum movement, most went to those insti tutions, those convicted of more dangerous behaviour were still sent to prison
Summary
Psychiatric patients often break society's rules and find themselves before the courts. TDhHanSS3,001t9o75th)edseevooftfeesndoenrlsy weihgohmt pitagdeesscoriubtesofasm"oinre adéquates"T. hese offenders are limited or damaged personalities because of chronic schizophrenia, per sonality problems or mental handicap. They consti tute a nuisance because of their poor response to conventional treatment, their limited co-operation and their recidivism. Bowden (1977) carried out a survey of facilities and psychiatrists in the South East Thames Region and looked at men remanded to Brixton Prison for medical reports He concluded that facilities for chronically disabled mentally abnormal offenders were inadequate and that few of them required secure placement in either a regional secure unit or in prison. Courts faced with such offenders for whom nothing satisfactory has been recommended by the reports before them feelobliged to deal with intractable prob lems by directing the offenders to prison or psychiatric hospital, both of which may be inappropriate and expensive options
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