Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 7/2006

01-10-2006 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Gender- and violence-related prevalence of mental disorders in prisoners

Authors: Dr. rer.nat. Stefan Watzke, Dr. phil. Simone Ullrich, Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Andreas Marneros

Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience | Issue 7/2006

Login to get access

Abstract

Objectives

To clarify the prevalence of mental diseases including personality disorders in a sample of German prisoners regarding delinquency and gender specificity.

Method

Crime history, present state and lifetime mental disorders, as well as personality disorders, were assessed amongst 415 inmates and compared regarding gender and type of delinquency.

Results

Female offenders more often committed homicide while male offenders more frequently committed assault and robbery. Men had a higher prevalence of alcohol abuse and dissocial PD while women more often showed depression, anxiety disorders and Borderline PD. Violent offences were related to a higher prevalence of alcohol abuse and dissocial PD, as well as higher comorbidities of mental disorders.

Conclusion

Results emphasize the complexity of the needs and requirements of imprisoned offenders. Our findings reveal an urgent need for psychiatric–psychotherapeutic services to provide suitable care to inmates in order to contribute to a more favorable legal prognosis.
Literature
1.
Andersen HS (2004) Mental health in prison populations. A review—with special emphasis on a study of Danish prisoners on remand. Acta Psychiatr Scand 110:4–59CrossRef
2.
APA (1994) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edn. American Psychiatric Association, Washington DC
3.
BKA (2004) Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik—Berichtsjahr 2003. Bundeskriminalamt, Wiesbaden
4.
Bland RC, Newman SC, Thompson AH, Dyck RJ (1998) Psychiatric disorders in the population and in prisoners. Int J Law Psychiatry 21:273–279PubMedCrossRef
5.
Brink JH, Doherty D, Boer A (2001) Mental disorder in federal offenders: a Canadian prevalence study. Int J Law Psychiatry 24:339–356PubMedCrossRef
6.
Chiles JA, Cleve E, Jemelka RP, Trupin EW (1990) Substance abuse and psychiatric disorders in prison inmates. Hosp Community Psychiatry 41:1132–1134PubMed
7.
Corrado RR, Cohen I, Hart S, Roesch R (2000) Comparative examination of the prevalence of mental disorders among jailed inmates in Canada and the United States. Int J Law Psychiatry 23:633–647PubMedCrossRef
8.
Ditton PM (2003) Mental health and treatment of inmates and probationers. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC
9.
Fazel S, Danesh J (2002) Serious mental disorder in 23000 prisoners: a systematic review of 62 surveys. Lancet 359:545–550PubMedCrossRef
10.
Gunn J, Maden A, Swinton M (1991) Treatment needs of prisoners with psychiatric disorders. Br Med J 303:338–341CrossRef
11.
Harrison PM, Beck AJ (2003) Prisoners in 2002. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC
12.
Huchzermeier C, Aldenhoff JB (2002) Current standing of forensic psychotherapy in Germany [Zum gegenwaertigen Stand der forensischen Psychotherapie in Deutschland]. Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr 70:374–384PubMedCrossRef
13.
Ille R, Lahousen F, Rous F, Hofmann P, Kapfhammer HP (2005) Personality profile and psychic deviations in offenders examined for psychiatric-forensic appraisal [Persoenlichkeitsprofile und psychische Abweichungen bei psychiatrisch-forensisch begutachteten Straftaetern]. Nervenarzt 76:52–60PubMedCrossRef
14.
Jacobi F, Wittchen HU, Holting C, et al. (2004) Prevalence, co-morbidity and correlates of mental disorders in the general population: results from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey (GHS). Psychol Med 34:597–611PubMedCrossRef
15.
Lamb HR, Weinberger LE, Gross BH (2004) Mentally ill persons in the criminal justice system: Some perspectives. Psychiatr Q 75:107–126PubMedCrossRef
16.
Maden A, Swinton M, Gunn J (1994) A criminological and psychiatric survey of women serving a prison sentence. Br J Criminol 34:172–191
17.
Marneros A, Ullrich S, Rössner D (2002) Angeklagte Straftaeter: Das Dilemma der Begutachtung. Nomos, Baden-Baden
18.
Moran P (1999) The epidemiology of antisocial personality disorder. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 34:231–242PubMedCrossRef
19.
Pillmann F, Ullrich S, Draba S, Sannemuller U, Marneros A (2000) Acute effects of alcohol and chronic alcohol addiction as a determinant of violent crime [Akute Alkoholwirkung und chronische Alkoholabhaengigkeit als Determinanten von Gewaltdelinquenz]. Nervenarzt 71:715–721PubMedCrossRef
20.
Roesler M, Retz W, Retz-Junginger P, Hengesch G, Schneider M, Supprian T, Schwitzgebel P, Pinhard K, Dovi-Akue N, Wender P, Thome J (2004) Prevalence of attention deficit-/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid disorders in young male prison inmates. Eur Arch Psychiatr Clin Neurosci 254:365–371CrossRef
21.
Soyka M, Morhart-Klute V, Schoech H (2004) Delinquency and criminal offenses in former schizophrenic inpatients 7–12 years following discharge. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 254:289–294PubMed
22.
Teplin LA, Abram KM, McClelland GM (1996) Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among incarcerated women. I. Pretrial jail detainees. Arch Gen Psychiatry 53:505–512PubMed
23.
Ullrich S, Borkenau P, Marneros A (2001) Personality disorders in offenders: categorical versus dimensional approaches. J Pers Disord 15:442–449CrossRefPubMed
24.
Ullrich S, Paelecke M, Kahle I, Marneros A (2003) Categorial and dimensional assessment of psychopathy in German offenders. Prevalence, gender differences and aging [Kategoriale und dimensionale Erfassung von “psychopathy” bei deutschen Straftaetern - Praevalenz, Geschlechts- und Alterseffekte]. Nervenarzt 74:1002–1008PubMedCrossRef
25.
WHO (1993) The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders: diagnostic criteria for research. World Health Organization, Geneva
26.
WHO (1995) Schedules for clinical assessment in neuropsychiatry. Huber, Bern
27.
WHO (1996) International personality disorder examination. ICD-10 Modul. Huber, Bern
Metadata
Title
Gender- and violence-related prevalence of mental disorders in prisoners
Authors
Dr. rer.nat. Stefan Watzke
Dr. phil. Simone Ullrich
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Andreas Marneros
Publication date
01-10-2006
Publisher
Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience / Issue 7/2006
Print ISSN: 0940-1334
Electronic ISSN: 1433-8491
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-006-0656-4

Other articles of this Issue 7/2006

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 7/2006 Go to the issue

ORIGINAL PAPER

(AAT)n repeat in the cannabinoid receptor gene, CNR1: association with schizophrenia in a Spanish population

ORIGINAL PAPER

Is the association of alcohol use disorders with major depressive disorder a consequence of undiagnosed bipolar-II disorder?

ORIGINAL PAPER

Treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome with a combination of tiapride/carbamazepine

ORIGINAL PAPER

Obstetric complications and neurological abnormalities in neuroleptic-naive psychotic patients

ORIGINAL PAPER

Serum BDNF, TNF-α and IL-1β levels in dementia patients

Erratum

Serum BDNF, TNF- α and IL-1β levels in dementia patients