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Are release recommendations for NGRI acquittees informed by relevant data?
Author(s) -
MangunoMire Gina M.,
Thompson John W.,
BertmanPate Lisa J.,
Burnett Darla R.,
Thompson Hilary W.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/bsl.724
Subject(s) - insanity , maximum security , forensic science , multivariate analysis , forensic psychiatry , medical record , legal process , human factors and ergonomics , psychiatry , medicine , psychology , poison control , medical emergency , political science , criminology , law , prison , veterinary medicine
We conducted a retrospective review of factors involved in clinical recommendations for release of patients adjudicated not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). Medical records from 91 patients in a maximum security forensic hospital who participated in a formal hearing process to determine suitability for release were reviewed. The purpose of the study was twofold: (1) to examine the process involved in day to day clinical decision‐making regarding release from a maximum security forensic hospital and (2) to determine what factors in a patient's clinical and legal history were related to recommendation decisions. Multivariate statistical methods revealed that among the clinical, demographic, and legal information available to clinicians at the time a formal release recommendation was made two factors emerged that were significantly related to release recommendations: PCL‐R score and the age at which the patient committed his first criminal offense. Patients with high levels of psychopathy and those who engaged in criminal behavior at a younger age were less likely to be recommended for release from a maximum security forensic hospital. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.