| dc.description.abstract | Mental disorders are common among prisoners in a Penitentiary Psychiatric Center (PPC) and are related to recidivism risk: individuals with a mental disorder are known to be at an elevated risk for criminal behavior. Reducing risk factors for criminal behavior is one of the goals of the PPC. However, it is currently unclear whether risk factors decrease during a stay and if therapy has an effect on this. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the course of recidivism risk during a stay in a PPC and the differences in this course between different types of therapy (individual therapy, pharmacotherapy and no therapy). In addition, the influence of the seriousness of the index crime on the recidivism risk will be investigated. The sample consisted of 515 prisoners (men and women). Recidivism risk was measured at two timepoints, using the clinical risk factors of the Historical, Clinical, Future-Revision (HKT-R), a risk assessment tool. Results show a decrease in recidivism risk in general during a stay in a PPC for all types of therapy. When the clinical risk factors were examined separately, 9 of the 15 specific items decreased between timepoints. There were no differences found between types of therapy in the course of recidivism risk. In addition, the seriousness of the index crime had no effect on the course of recidivism risk. The present study provides a clarifying overview regarding the course of the clinical risk factors for recidivism during a stay in a PPC, which can be responded to in clinical practice. The findings suggest that providing stability and structure, as is given in a PPC, may cause a decrease in recidivism risk. However, present study lacked a random allocation treatment group, which causes limited insight. More research is needed to investigate the relation between therapy and recidivism risk, in order to achieve a reduction in recidivism risk caused by therapy. | |
