| Abstrakt: |
Follow-up data on criminal offenses and psychiatric rehospitalization were obtained for adult male patients discharged 1956-early 1962 from a state-wide security unit who had been committed as "not guilty by reason of insanity" (NGRI group, N = 44) or as "criminal sexual psycho-paths" (CSP group, N = 43). Comprehensive search procedures were employed. All subjects were located. Excluding deaths, rates of failure (new felony and/or psychiatric rehospitalization) were: NGRI group--16% in 1 year, 43% in 3 years, 52% in 5 years; CSP group--5% in 1 year, 18% in 3 years, 25% in 5 years. In the small samples studies, two statistically significant prognostic relationships (3-year follow-up) were found for the NGRI group, none for the CSP group. NGRI subjects were more likely to fail if (a) they had 2 or more previous offenses, or (b) their criminal record (past or present) included one or more economic offenses. Comparison with published data suggested close similarity of the NGRI group to discharged prison inmates in criminal-recidivism rates, predominance of economic offenses, and type of background variables prognostic of recidivism. Outcome data were equivocal on similarity to other psychiatric patients; dissimilarity was suggested by findings on prognostic variables. CSP recidivism rates were significantly lower than NGRI rates, and were almost identical with published rates of a comparable, larger California sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
