Characteristics and re-offending outcomes of 'limiting-term' forensic patients found unfit to stand trial in New South Wales, Australia. Issue 5 (3rd September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Timothy; Singh, Sara; Lyons, Georgia; Nielssen, Olav; Kemp, Richard; Johnson, Anina; Dean, Kimberlie
• Is Part Of: Psychiatry, psychology, and law. Volume 28:Issue 5(2021)
• Page Start: 733
• Page End: 747
• Publication Date: 2021-09-03
• Subjects: unfit -- incompetent -- trial -- limiting term -- forensic patients -- mental health review tribunal -- detention -- re-offending; Criminal psychology -- Periodicals; Forensic psychiatry -- Periodicals; Mentally ill offenders -- Periodicals; 345.9404
• DOI: 10.1080/13218719.2020.1837032
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1321-8719

Abstract

Abstract : There are little published data on the characteristics or outcomes of offenders found unfit to stand trial who receive a 'qualified finding of guilt' in a Special Hearing in New South Wales (NSW) and are detained for a 'limiting term' (LT) under the supervision of the NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT). We examined NSW MHRT records linked to re-offending data, to report on the characteristics and outcomes of 69 LT patients in a cohort spanning two decades. The most common diagnoses were schizophrenia (54%) and intellectual disability (33%). Patients were detained on average for 4.2 years, which is slightly shorter than the average maximum term imposed. Of the 55 people for whom criminal record data were available, 9.1% were charged with an offence during the first year post-release and 60% overall were charged for at least one post-release offence during a follow-up period ranging from 4.7 to 11.1 years.