Schizophrenia as a contingent risk factor for criminal violence

Risk prediction: a review of the literature

“…Cirincione, Steadman, Clark‐Robbins, and Monahan (1992) examined the predictive relationship between schizophrenia and criminal violence, while controlling for arrest history, among two cohorts of patients admitted to a New York State facility in 1968 ( n = 255) and 1978 ( n = 327). The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services provided data on violent crimes committed during the 11 years following the index psychiatric admission; these included murder, manslaughter, rape, attempted rape, assault, kidnapping, and sodomy.…”

From Whence Comes Mental Illness Stigma?

“…What is the accuracy of this assertion? Several studies suggest that people with severe mental illness are more likely to be violent than people without these disorders (Swanson et al, 1990;Cirincione et al, 1992;Monahan, 1992;Mulvey, 1994;Torrey, 1994;Grossman et al, 1995;Eronen et al, 1996;Hodgkins et al, 1996). However, the increased risk of violence associated with mental disorder is modest and comparable to that which is associated with age, education, gender and previous history of violence in populations that are not labeled mentally ill (Swanson et al, 1990;Link et al, 1992).…”

The Clinical Application of Risk Assessment in the Treatment-Planning Process

“…In general, actuarial prediction schemes contain primarily static variables (such as age, gender, history of offenses, and so on), which are historically based and likely will not change over time. Although some studies show that clinical variables (i.e., variables related to clinical status that are dynamic and expected to change over time) may be predictive of future violence (Sepejak, Menzies, Webster, & Jensen, 1983), most researchers maintain that actuarial prediction based on static factors invariably outperforms clinical prediction when attempting to predict future violence (e.g., Bonta, Law, & Hanson, 1998;Cirincione, Steadman, Robbins, & Monahan, 1992;Dawes et al, 1989;Klassen & O'Connor, 1988Steadman, 1980). However, the focus on static, historical variables has somewhat limited the clinical application of risk assessment technology, because the primary goal is prediction rather than treatment, monitoring of change, or developing clinical interventions to actively manage risk.…”