Follow-Up of Forensic Psychiatric Legislation and Clinical Practice in Sweden 1988 to 1995

The effect of gender on the outcome of forensic psychiatric assessment in Sweden: A case vignette study

“…While numbers were small, it was striking that there was complete agreement involving an offender with schizophrenia (case 1) and with antisocial personality disorder (case 5). These findings contradict earlier international and Swedish findings, which have indicated that female offenders are generally more likely than male offenders to be assessed in legal terms as having a mental disorder sufficient to affect that legal process – here the disposal of the patients (Grann and Holmberg, ; Holmberg and Kristiansson, ; Menzies et al, ; Sturup and Kristiansson, ; Yourstone et al, ; Yourstone et al, ).…”

“…Approximately 10% of the 500 offenders who undergo forensic psychiatric assessment each year in Sweden are female. Two earlier studies, of offenders assessed between 1992 and 2004, both showed a greater probability of female than male offenders being judged by the court to have a severe mental disorder, having received psychiatric recommendations (Grann & Holmberg, ; Sturup & Kristiansson, ). Evidence that female offenders have lower Global Assessment of Functioning scores (Sturup & Kristiansson, ) and a greater number of pre‐offence contacts with psychiatric services (Holmberg & Kristiansson, ) have led to the assumption that women referred for forensic psychiatric assessment have more or more serious mental disorder than referred men.…”

Characteristics of spousal homicide perpetrators: a study of all cases of spousal homicide in Sweden 1990–1999

“…Swedish forensic psychiatric examinations are comprehensive, and carried out during a period of approximately 4-6 weeks at forensic psychiatric clinics (see Belfrage and Fransson, 2000;Grann and Holmberg, 1999). All but five (5%) in the study group were given at least one psychiatric diagnosis, whereas 41 (34%) were sentenced to forensic psychiatric treatment.…”

Risk factors for recidivism among spousal assault and spousal homicide offenders

“…An W E is in Sweden conducted in cases of violent or otherwise severe crimes whenever the court suspects that a mental illness may be present. The FPEs are conducted according to fixed guidelines and comprise a 4-week stay at a special evaluation unit, where a team with a forensic psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist and a social worker perform the evaluation (Kullgren et al, 1996;Grann and Holmberg, 1999). Some relatively voluminous reports are produced during FPEs in Sweden, and the archive hosted by The National Board of Forensic Medicine have proved useful for research purposes LBngstr6m et al, 1999).…”