Forensic Clinical

Individuals who set deliberate fires are frequently encountered by clinicians working in forensic mental health services. However, little attention has been paid to developing standardised treatment for this behaviour, and few evaluations of treatment have been conducted in forensic mental

A number of recent influential reports recommend the use of proactive and preventative approaches such as Positive Behavioural Support (PBS) in the management of challenging behaviours. Although evidence supporting the use of PBS is mainly drawn from studies of learning

AbstractIntroductionThis retrospective study evaluated the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis among military servicemembers referred for Sanity Boards (n = 229), which is a military evaluation for competence to stand trial (CST) and criminal responsibility (CR). This study further

This study sought to expand scientific knowledge on psychopathic personality traits in female offenders by evaluating the relationship between MMPI–2–RF triarchic scales and self-reported external variables in a sample of 205 female offenders. Results indicated that boldness was inversely related

Psychologists working within forensic mental health (FMH) services face challenges around supporting clients’ informed consent when engaging in psychological assessment and treatment. Given that there is little research in this area, this qualitative study interviewed ten forensic inpatients from a

BackgroundSpitefulness is the inclination to inflict harm to someone else even at one’s own expenses. The development of a self‐report measure (the Spitefulness Scale [SS]) has fostered the investigation of the relationships between spitefulness and aggression‐related variables. ObjectiveThe present study

Purpose To investigate the predictive value of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and features of ASPD (i.e., lack of remorse, blame externalization, and deceitfulness) for symptom exaggeration. Methods A sample of forensic psychiatric patients (N = 57) was asked to complete

Description of symptoms and signs related to psychotic disorders at the time of the crime is essential in forensic evaluations of legal insanity. Knowledge of the content of forensic reports is important to improve and secure their quality. Here we

Aggression Replacement Training (ART) is widely used to reduce aggression and is considered to be effective although there are also inconsistent results. Studies investigating the effectiveness of ART do not focus on neurocognitive characteristics. Focusing on these aspects would result

BackgroundViolent and aggressive incidents are common within mental health settings and are often managed using high-risk physical interventions such as restraint and seclusion. De-escalation is a first-line technique to manage conflict behaviours and prevent violence and aggression. There is limited

There is a growing literature on biological explanations of antisocial and criminal behavior. This paper provides a selective review of three specific biological factors – psychophysiology (with the focus on blunted heart rate and skin conductance), brain mechanisms (with a

Recent research expanded theoretical frameworks of criminality to include biosocial perspectives. This article advances the biosocial integration into traditional criminological theories by focusing on the potential contribution of executive function (EF) to Andrews and Bonta’s risk-need-responsivity (RNR) model. EF encompasses

Although psychopathy construct (Self-Report Psychopathy Scale–Short Form [SRP–SF]) was assessed among various samples, prior research did not investigate whether the model proposed by Hare and colleagues can be used to capture psychopathy scores derived from forensic and nonforensic populations. The

Purpose: To analyze the causes of mortality among patients committed to compulsory forensic psychiatric hospital treatment in Finland during 1980–2009 by categorizing the causes of mortality into somatic diseases, suicides and other unnatural deaths. Materials and methods: The causes of

This rapid review summarizes currently available information on the definition, prevalence, characteristics, and needs of long-stay patients within forensic psychiatric settings. Sixty nine documents from 14 countries were identified. Reports on what constitutes “long-stay” and on the characteristics of long-stay

This rapid review summarizes currently available information on the definition, prevalence, characteristics, and needs of long-stay patients within forensic psychiatric settings. Sixty nine documents from 14 countries were identified. Reports on what constitutes “long-stay” and on the characteristics of long-stay

Background: Many patients experience extended stays within forensic care, but the characteristics of long-stay patients are poorly understood. Aims: To describe the characteristics of long-stay patients in high and medium secure settings in England. Method: Detailed file reviews provided clinical,

There is a dearth of research into what low secure forensic psychiatric rehabilitation means in Australia and internationally. The aim of this study was to understand clinician perspectives of forensic psychiatric rehabilitation in a low secure setting in Australia and

Decision-making of mental health professionals is influenced by irrelevant information (e.g., Murrie, Boccaccini, Guarnera, & Rufino, 2013). However, the extent to which mental health evaluators acknowledge the existence of bias, recognize it, and understand the need to guard against it,

Physical and mental fatigue are common factors affecting function and recovery in litigated injuries and illnesses. Despite the high prevalence of fatigue-related symptoms and anticipated impact on cognitive functioning, forensic neuropsychological assessments are often challenged by the following approaches to

Using data from the National Trajectory Project, we compared 50 individuals found Not Criminally Responsible on account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) for sexual offences with 50 age- and gender-matched individuals found NCRMD for nonsexually violent offences. We also described the

Despite a growing interest in the use of self-report measures of narcissism among student, community, and clinical samples, the research on narcissism in prison samples is sparse, despite elevated rates of narcissism in these samples. The current study examined the

The Swiss Criminal Code provides measures for mentally-ill offenders focusing on their need for treatment. This may lead to the deprivation of the patient’s liberty up to several years. Under certain circumstances the mentally-ill offender can be sentenced to an

This article presents a comparative review of the application of four contextualist therapies in the treatment of antisocial behavior and offending. The therapies reviewed are functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and mode

Much of the work undertaken in forensic settings, such as diagnosis, formulation, and judgements about treatment and placement are based on information gathered through clinical forensic interviewing. Despite this, the evidence base on which clinical forensic interviewing is founded is

Practitioners and researchers have long been challenged with identifying deceptive response styles in forensic contexts, particularly when differentiating malingering from factitious presentations. The origins and the development of factitious disorders as a diagnostic classification are discussed, as well as the

This project began as an attempt to develop systematic, measurable indicators of bias in written forensic mental health evaluations focused on the issue of insanity. Although forensic clinicians observed in this study did vary systematically in their report‐writing behaviors on

Claims of amnesia and dissociative experiences in association with a violent crime are not uncommon. Research has shown that dissociation is a risk factor for violence and is seen most often in crimes of extreme violence. The subject matter is

Background Many patients residing in forensic psychiatric centers have difficulties regulating their aggression in an adequate manner. Therefore, they are frequently involved in conflicts. Evidenced-based aggression therapies in forensic psychiatry are scarce, and due to the highly secured environment, it

Women’s pathways into forensic settings differ from men’s. In particular, women in forensic settings, whether in prison, hospital, or the community frequently share histories of multiple trauma and attachment disturbances, often leading to profound difficulties in relating to others, despite

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe service users’ perspectives on the difference between high secure long-stay forensic psychiatric services in the Netherlands and high secure forensic psychiatric care in England. These perspectives are relevant in considering the