Admission of mentally disordered offenders to specialized forensic care in fifteen European Union member states

Objective Despite a high ranking on the public and political agenda, across Europe and all over the world there is a surprising shortage of basic information and evidence on the quantity and quality of services available for mentally disordered or ill offenders, the frequency of cases in specialized forensic facilities or the effectiveness of provided care in the various countries. Against poor evidence the rapid European integration and the strive for models of good practice require valid and reliable international overviews, sound studies and profound analyses of this most controversial issue. Aims To harmonize and give an overview of prevalence and incidence data of persons in forensic psychiatric care available from official sources across fifteen European Union-Member States. Method Data was gathered and provided by forensic experts from each included country. Results Total numbers as well as prevalence and incidence on persons placed or treated under legal forensic regimes vary remarkably across the EU, although a tendency of constantly, but slowly rising rates from 1990 onwards may be concluded from available time series. However, variation supports the hypothesis of a variety of unknown influencing factors, which need to be analysed for each country separately. Conclusions Common EU-wide patterns of psychiatric forensic prevalence or incidence rates can hardly be detected from available administrative data. Results show the necessity for international harmonisation of definitions or indicators as a basic requirement for strongly needed further research in this crucial field.