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MENTALLY DISORDERED VIOLENT OFFENDERS

NCJ Number
57140
Journal
SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: (NOVEMBER 1973) Pages: 220-229
Author(s)
H HAEFNER; W BOEKER
Date Published
1973
Length
10 pages
Annotation
A DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY IS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF VIOLENT CRIME COMMITTED BY MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS AS OPPOSED TO THE AMOUNT OF CRIME COMMITTED BY OFFENDERS WHO ARE NOT MENTALLY ILL.
Abstract
NAMES OF ALL OFFENDERS WHO HAD BEEN CONVICTED OF CRIMES OF VIOLENCE BETWEEN THE YEARS 1955 TO 1964 WERE COLLECTED FROM POLICE FILES IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, FROM THE FILES OF THE PUBLIC PROSECUTORS, AND FROM THE RECORDS OF THE STATE MENTAL HOSPITALS WHERE MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS MIGHT HAVE BEEN COMMITTED. THEN DATA ON THE 533 MENTALLY ILL OR RETARDED VIOLENT OFFENDERS AND THEIR CRIMES WERE COMPARED WITH DATA ON THOSE VIOLENT OFFENDERS WHO WERE NOT JUDGED TO BE MENTALLY ILL. A TOTAL NUMBER OF 17,930 VIOLENT OFFENDERS WAS IDENTIFIED FOR THE 10-YEAR PERIOD, WITH THE 533 MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS ACCOUNTING FOR 3 PERCENT OF THE WHOLE. THIS MEANS THAT, WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE AGE DISTRIBUTION OF OFFENDERS, MENTALLY ILL AND MENTALLY RETARDED PERSONS COMMIT VIOLENT CRIMES IN ABOUT THE SAME PROPORTION AS THE POPULATION AT LARGE. THE RISK OF BECOMING A VIOLENT OFFENDER IS GREATER FOR SCHIZOPHRENICS, APPROXIMATELY 10 TIMES AS HIGH AS THE RISK FOR PERSONS WITH AFFECTIVE PSYCHOSES OR FOR THE MENTALLY RETARDED. BOTH MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS AND OFFENDERS NOT MENTALLY ILL ARE PREDOMINANTLY MALE AND BETWEEN THE AGES OF 26-34. THE DATA ON THE 533 MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS WERE ALSO COMPARED WITH THOSE ON A CONTROL GROUP OF NONOFFENDERS TO DETERMINE CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONS MORE INCLINED TOWARD VIOLENCE. RESULTS SHOW THAT THE MAIN INDICATORS WERE MORE EVIDENCE OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, ALCOHOLISM, AND OTHER ADDICTIONS BEFORE THE ONSET OF CRIMINALITY. CONCLUSIONS ARE SUMMARIZED IN FRENCH, GERMAN, AND ENGLISH.