Citation

Taylor PJ. Br. J. Criminol. 1986; 26(1): 63-78.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1986, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Publisher Oxford University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A review of life-sentenced men and women, supervised by probation officers in the Inner London Probation Service, was carried out by questionnaire to the supervising officers. There appeared to be a high rate of psychiatric disorder, whether the lifers were in prison or in the community. Overall two-thirds of the lifers had a psychiatric diagnosis. Nearly 10 per cent, of them had schizophrenia, a slightly higher proportion had a depressive illness and one-third had received a definite diagnosis of personality disorder. In most of the latter cases personality disorder was not the sole diagnosis. On a number of superficial social measures the released lifers had adjusted well. Nearly a third, however, had been recalled at some stage and there was a suggestion that psychiatric disorder may have been an important factor in the decision to recall.