Violent behavior by involuntarily committed female offenders with mental disorders: A population‐based case series

Abstract

The goal of the current study was to investigate the socio‐demographic, psychiatric, and criminological characteristics of female violent offenders with mental disorders involuntarily committed to a forensic psychiatric hospital. The present study was a population‐based retrospective case series including all female offenders with mental disorders found not guilty by reason of insanity by the criminal courts in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and involuntarily committed to a forensic psychiatric facility (n = 27). Patients were assessed with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV Axis I Disorders and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. We found that most offenders were Afro‐Brazilian, uneducated unmarried women. Schizophrenia with active psychotic symptoms was the most common clinical condition. Relatives were the frequent victims of aggressive behavior. Most patients had already been diagnosed with a mental disorder and placed under psychiatric treatment, but poor adherence and treatment dropout were common. Violent behavior in psychiatrically ill female patients is associated with a specific socio‐demographic and clinical profile and is thus potentially amenable to prevention particularly if the mental health and social services are to provide the much‐needed support for economically, socially, and psychologically vulnerable women.

Lethal and severe violence: Characterizing Swedish female offenders with and without a severe mental disorder

“…Regarding comparisons between the two groups, the no-SMD group more frequently had substance use diagnoses compared to the SMD group. These findings are consistent with prior research showing that a majority of female offenders have had experiences of substance abuse (22,27,34). This is also illustrated in a study on female intimate partner homicide offenders who often had substance abuse (18).…”

“…Previous studies on female offenders have often focused on specific subgroups, such as female offenders having specific victim groups, for example, intimate partner homicide ( 15 – 18 ), or child victims ( 19 , 20 ), or specific offender characteristics such as substance abuse ( 21 , 22 ) or mental disorders ( 23 – 25 ). Also, the sample sizes in previous studies have often been small ( n < 20) (e.g., 15 , 18 , 20 , 26 ), which limits the possibility to generalize findings.…”

“…Basic demographic factors associated with female offenders are: low educational level ( 15 , 19 , 23 , 27 , 28 ); unemployment ( 18 , 27 , 29 ); adverse childhood experiences [i.e., mental, physical, and sexual abuse and/or domestic dysfunction ( 30 )] ( 20 , 27 , 31 ); life-time maltreatment/trauma victimization (e.g., mental, physical, and sexual abuse) ( 26 ), as well as having tried to get help during the 6 months preceding the crime ( 29 ). The high level of victimization among female offenders has implications for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.…”

“…When working with this group, a specific focus on trauma treatment has been suggested as a preventive measure ( 32 – 34 ). Regarding civil status, various results have been obtained, with some studies showing that female offenders often are married/within intimate partner relations ( 16 , 27 , 29 ), while other studies have found that they are seldom in a relationship ( 23 , 26 , 34 ). This discrepancy could, at least in part, be an effect of differences in sample selection, but it creates a contradictory picture that requires access to population-based samples.…”

“…Previous research on mental health among female offenders often separates those with severe mental illness (generally treated within forensic mental health services) from those without such an illness (treated within the correctional system). Among female offenders within forensic psychiatric care, previous psychiatric disorders are common, where the clinical picture commonly is dominated by psychotic disorders ( 23 ) and mood disorders ( 20 ). Prior research on incarcerated female offenders on the other hand also showed a high prevalence of mood disorders, and quite often borderline and antisocial personality disorders ( 31 ), as well as various developmental disorders (e.g., intellectual and/or learning disabilities, and/or ADHD) ( 34 ).…”