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Treatment of psychosis in prisons and violent recidivism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Artemis Igoumenou*
Affiliation:
Violence Prevention Research Unit, Queen Mary University, London, UK
Constantinos Kallis
Affiliation:
Violence Prevention Research Unit, Queen Mary University, London, UK
Jeremy Coid
Affiliation:
Violence Prevention Research Unit, Queen Mary University, London, UK
*
Artemis Igoumenou, Violence Prevention Research Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, Garrod Building, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK. Email: a.igoumenou@qmul.ac.uk
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Abstract

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Background

Violence among released prisoners with psychosis is an important public health problem. It is unclear whether treatment in prison can influence criminal behaviour subsequent to release.

Aims

To investigate whether treatment in prison can delay time to reoffending.

Method

Our sample consisted of 1717 adult prisoners in England and Wales convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence. We used Cox regression to investigate the effects of treatment received in prison on associations between mental illness and time to first reconviction following release.

Results

Prisoners with current symptoms of schizophrenia reoffended quicker following release. Nevertheless, treatment with medication significantly delayed time to violence (18% reduction). Treatment for substance dependence delayed violent and non-violent reoffending among prisoners with drug-induced psychosis.

Conclusions

Identifying prisoners with psychosis and administering treatment in prison have important protective effects against reoffending. Repeated screening with improved accuracy in identification is necessary to prevent cases being missed.

Type
Research Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015

Footnotes

Declaration of interest

None.

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