Go Back Research Article December, 2007

Sexual Homicide

Author Peer Briken Author Doz. Dr. med. Andreas Hill Author Wolfgang Berner Author phil. Niels C. Habermann

Abstract

Empirical data are lacking that answer the question of how sexual murderers detained in forensic mental hospitals can be differentiated from those sentenced to prison. Psychiatric court reports and national criminal records on sexual murderers detained in a forensic mental hospital (n=45) were compared with those of prisoners (n=89) regarding diagnostic, criminologic, and prognostic characteristics and criminal recidivism rates after detention. Sexual murderers detained in forensic mental hospitals were characterized by higher psychiatric morbidity and slightly higher risk of future sexual and nonsexual violence. They were released from incarceration less often than the prison inmates but did not show higher sexual or nonsexual violence recidivism rates than those from the prison group.

Keywords

Sexual Murderers Forensic Mental Hospitals Psychiatric Court Reports Criminal Recidivism Criminologic Characteristics Prognostic Characteristics Prison Inmates Psychiatric Morbidity Sexual Violence Nonsexual Violence Criminological Differences Forensic Psychiatry Recidivism Rates Detention Diagnostic Characteristics Future Violence Risk Incarceration Prisoners vs Forensic Hospital Detainees Criminal History Sexual and Nonsexual Violence Risk Forensic Mental Health Criminal Justice System Risk Assessment Violent Offenders
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Volume 79
Issue 5
Pages 587–593
DOI 10.1007/s00115-007-2394-x
ISSN 1433-0407
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