Mental health risk factors for criminal recidivism and mortality in individuals given community sentences

Individuals with psychiatric disorders are overrepresented in correctional populations. Given their high prevalence, understanding the role that psychiatric disorders play in criminal behaviour is essential for achieving the primary goal of correctional systems - preventing future crime. Understanding psychiatric disorders is also relevant for mitigating potential health risks, mortality being the most serious, associated with criminal behaviour and sentencing. Despite the apparent need, very few studies have examined the association of psychiatric disorders with criminal recidivism and mortality in non-custodial populations, i.e., individuals given community sentences. The present thesis addresses this research gap and provides recommendations for evidence-based risk management of individuals with psychiatric disorders undergoing community supervision. The thesis aimed to examine the role of psychiatric disorders as factors for criminal recidivism and mortality in individuals given community sentences and to create a simple, scalable tool for criminal recidivism risk monitoring in this population. To achieve these aims, I conducted five separate studies. The first study was a systematic review of the recidivism rates in individuals given community sentences internationally. The review covers 28 studies with data from 19 countries. Based on this systematic review, the two-year reconviction was selected as the primary criminal recidivism outcome in the present thesis. The second study reports the meta-analysis of existing research on risk factors for criminal recidivism in individuals given community sentences. The meta-analysis results further highlighted the lack of published research into psychiatric disorders and criminal recidivism in community sentenced populations. The strength of reported associations between mental health risk factors and criminal recidivism was comparable to that of non-modifiable risk factors, such as age, gender, and criminal history. However, the studies reporting these associations ...