Psychiatric disorders and the prognosis for criminal recidivism

The risk for criminal recidivism of mentally ill offenders is, unlike the general risk of delinquency, not well established. The relationship between psychiatric diagnosis and criminal recidivism was examined in the context of the Munich project on risk assessment. A total of 185 offenders had been examined on the question of culpability between 1992 and 1993. Reoffences committed before the end of 2001 were recorded according to the Federal Registry of court sentences (Bundeszentralregister); 38.8% of the total group recidivated. High rates of recidivism were observed for individuals with substance abuse (45.5%) and with personality disorders (46.6%). The combination of the two illnesses increased the rate for recidivism to 50%. For individuals with organic, affective and neurotic disorders the rates for recidivism were below the average. Rates of recidivism for schizophrenic offenders were slightly higher, if re-offences in the state of inculpability were included. The HCR-20 predicted recidivism equally well for offenders with and without a psychiatric diagnosis. In both groups, individuals with HCR-20 scores above the mean recidivated more often and after shorter periods of time.