Violent forensic psychiatric inpatients and violent detainees in the Netherlands

Abstract

A group of 136 violent inpatients detained under hospital order and a group of 100 violent detainees with a prison sentence of at least four years were compared as regards individual criminogenic factors such as personality traits and problem behaviours. The inpatients appeared to score higher than detainees on antisocial lifestyle, neuroticism, and disposition to anger. No significant differences were found on other measures. Inpatients were all classified as having an antisocial personality disorder, but there were indications that this was also the case for a considerable percentage of the detainees. It seems advisable that the psychiatric and psychological criteria used in the decision to detain an offender under hospital order should be specified further.

Keywords:

• forensic psychiatric patients
• detainment under hospital order
• personality traits
• problem behaviours

Acknowledgements

The research among patients detained under hospital order was made possible by the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) of the Dutch Ministry of Justice, and the research among detainees with long prison sentences by the De Kijvelanden Forensic Psychiatric Centre.