Prevalence of mental disorders in defendants at criminal court.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Psychiatric morbidity in prisons and police custody is well established, but little is known about individuals attending criminal court. There is international concern that vulnerable defendants are not identified, undermining their right to a fair trial.

Aims

To explore the prevalence of a wide range of mental disorders in criminal defendants and estimate the proportion likely to be unfit to plead.

Method

We employed two-stage screening methodology to estimate the prevalence of mental illness, neurodevelopmental disorders and unfitness to plead, in 3322 criminal defendants in South London. Sampling was stratified according to whether defendants attended court from the community or custody. Face-to-face interviews, using diagnostic instruments and assessmen

SUBMITTER: Brown P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9169500 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature