Violent behavior by involuntarily committed female offenders with mental disorders: A population-based case series

106 Cases of homicide poisoning in China-A retrospective study

Homicidal poisoning has received limited scholarly attention, despite having recently increased in frequency in China, especially in rural areas, where it causes numerous deaths and disabilities. In this study, the author collected data on 106 cases of homicidal poisoning from 1995 to 2000. Of these cases 105 were found through website established by the Supreme Court of China, and one case was as an exception identified from the internet. There were 46 male perpetrators and 59 female perpetrators. The most common reason male perpetrators poisoned someone was conflict among neighbours (include residents in the same village) (ten cases), and the most common reason female perpetrators did so was an affair (13 cases). Compared with the perpetrators of general homicide, those who poisoned people included a high proportion of female, elderly, and well-educated individuals. This is related to the nonviolent nature of the poisoning, which requires no physical strength. Residents living in rural and urban areas chose poisoning based on convenience. People living in rural areas used pesticides most often, and people in urban areas have greater access to drugs or medications obtained at work or online. In this study, a total of 9.4% of the perpetrators were diagnosed with psychiatric disorders or psychosis. In all, the 106 cases resulted in 58 human deaths. Tetramine and paraquat caused many of the deaths, and this suggests a need for the government to manage and monitor these highly toxic pesticides. These cases are representative of issues in contemporary Chinese society, for example, population mobility, fierce competition.

Lethal and severe violence: Characterizing Swedish female offenders with and without a severe mental disorder

Aim

In studies on lethal and severe violence, male offenders have historically been in focus while female offenders, in comparison, have often been excluded. In this study, we aimed to characterize female violent offenders and compared those with and without a severe mental disorder (SMD).

Method

All females charged with lethal or attempted lethal violence, who had undergone forensic psychiatric investigations (FPI) in Sweden between 2000 and 2014, constituting the two groups SMD (n = 84) and no SMD (n = 91), were included. Information from their FPI reports and court verdicts was collected regarding background and demographics, mental health, substance use, and crime characteristics.

Results

Overall, both groups were often unemployed, previously victimized within close relations, had psychiatric health issues, and more than half of them had previously attempted suicide. Specifically, the SMD group more often had psychotic disorders, had attempted homicide-suicide (at the time of the crime), and had children or friends/acquaintances as victims. The no-SMD group more often manifested patterns of anxiety, personality disorders, and substance use disorders compared to the SMD group. The no-SMD group also differed from the SMD group by more often having a previous criminal record, being charged with lethal index violence, having male adult intimate partners/ex-intimate partners as victims who had abused the offender, and both offender and victim had more often been under the influence of a substance.

Conclusion

Female offenders of lethal and severe violence had a high prevalence of previous violent victimization which should be considered in forensic assessment and treatment regardless of the offender's SMD status. However, more focus on substance use disorders and intimate partner relations appears relevant for females without an SMD. Contrary to that, early interventions regarding psychotic processes are probably a helpful preventive measure for females with an SMD. In sum, the heterogeneity of female offenders of lethal and severe violence emphasizes the necessity of developing nuanced interventions to meet their rehabilitative needs as well as the requirements of community protection.

MMPI-2-RF Differences Between Violent Offending and Institutional Violence Among Incarcerated Women

The examination of violence perpetrated by female offenders remains an understudied topic, as research typically focuses on male offender samples. As such, it remains unclear what personality characteristics may be associated with the perpetration of violence among female offenders. This study sought to examine the relationship between personality characteristics, as assessed by the MMPI-2-RF, and engagement in violence, within a sample of 228 incarcerated women. Results indicated that women serving time for a violent offense obtained higher mean scores on MMPI-2-RF scales related to underreporting, atypical thoughts/experiences, and paranoia. Women who obtained disciplinary reports for violence within the institution obtained higher mean scores on MMPI-2-RF scales related to behavior/externalizing dysfunction, overactivation, and aggression. Taken together, violence was most strongly associated with the MMPI-2-RF scales related to paranoia and atypical thoughts/experiences (e.g., THD, PSYC-r). This study provides new data on the viability of the MMPI-2-RF to provide critical insights into violent and aggression behavior in female inmates, an understudied population and demonstrate the instrument's efficacy in assessing characteristics associated with violent behavior.

Violence risk assessment for young adults receiving treatment for early psychosis

AIM

Although the absolute risk of violence is small for individuals with mental illnesses, a specific subgroup of individuals who appear to be at increased risk for violence includes young people experiencing emerging or early psychosis. Prior research has identified risk factors for violence in this population, though no prior studies using a formal risk assessment tool have been identified. This study used the Historical Clinical Risk Management-20, version 3 (HCR-20) to identify risk of future violence among a sample of young adults with early psychosis and relevant predictors of risk unique to this population.

METHODS

The HCR-20 was administered to a sample of young adults with early psychosis (N = 53) enrolled at one OnTrackNY site, part of a statewide program providing early intervention services to young adults presenting with a first episode of non-affective psychosis. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to explore the relative importance of the HCR-20 items for this population.

RESULTS

The average age of participants was 21.9 years (SD 3.6 years) and most were male (69.8%, n = 37). Most patients were assessed to be at low risk for future violence based on the Case Prioritization summary risk rating (67.9%, n = 36). The CFA identified 4 items that were not of relative predictive value in identifying the risk of violence in this sample: history of substance use (item H5), history of major mental disorder (item H6), living situation (item R2), and personal support (item R3).

CONCLUSION

This study presents a formal approach to assessing violence risk in a population at elevated risk of violence, demonstrates the feasibility of using a standardized risk assessment tool in early intervention services, and identifies factors of particular importance associated with predicting violence in this population. Future research should implement violence risk assessment with a structured tool such as the HCR-20 and assess its accuracy in predicting future violent behavior in this setting.