Registered criminality and sanctioning of schizophrenia patients.

BACKGROUND

Patients with schizophrenia have been shown to have an increased risk of criminality, especially violent crimes.

AIMS

The aim of the current study was to describe the pattern of crimes committed by Danish patients with schizophrenia and examine the sanctions given for crimes in relation to the different periods in the patients' lives: not yet known to the psychiatric hospital system, known to the system but not yet diagnosed with schizophrenia, and after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

METHODS

Information from the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register was correlated with data from the Danish National Crime Register.

RESULTS

One of the more prominent findings was that 16% of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia receive a prison sentence or a suspended prison sentence, despite the fact that Denmark is a co-signatory of the European Prison Rules and should treat, rather than imprison, individuals with schizophrenia.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that greater alertness is needed in the judicial system for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.