Will a medical/social intervention program supervising and teaching severely mentally ill criminal offenders social skills in survival significantly reduce institutionalization and criminalization of these clients without undermining public safety

Suicide and Self-harm Prevention

April 2021

Full Citation

Benedetto, R. (1990). Will a medical/social intervention program supervising and teaching severely mentally ill criminal offenders social skills in survival significantly reduce institutionalization and criminalization of these clients without undermining public safety. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing

Abstract

The effectiveness of a medical-social intervention program designed to provide cost effective quality treatment to potentially dangerous chronically mentally ill offenders outside a hospital setting is examined. The existing literature on the conflicts involved in the criminalization of the mentally ill were reviewed with particular emphasis on outcome studies completed with this particular population.

The research is based on a developmental method using a longitudinal study. The target population included three categories of clients: those legally judged Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity, Those Incompetent To Stand Trial, and Mentally Disordered Sex Offenders. The data analysis was taken from State records, County records and programs in other jurisdictions. The comparative data analysis emphasized reoffense rates, nature of the offenses and the range of social adjustment among clients living outside the hospital setting.

This study found that the reoffense rate for the target population involved in this program was significantly lower than other comparative populations described in the literature. The seriousness of the reoffenses were also significantly lower.

The study also found that a structured medical-social program which supervises and teaches severe mentally ill offenders social skills in survival will significantly reduce institutionalization for these clients without endangering public safety.

The results of this study suggests further research be developed to evaluate the feasibility of extending the principles and concepts of this conditional release program to an expanding jail population of mentally ill offenders with the objective of reducing both the institutionalization and criminalization of the mentally ill.