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Violence ratings of female patients in broadmoor hospital |
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| Authors: | John Lumsden Michael T H Wong George W Fenton Peter B C Fenwick |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Neurophysiology , Broadmoor Hospital , Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG45 7EG, UK;2. Honorary Lecturer in Psychological Medicine (Neurophysiology Section) , Institute of Psychiatry , London, SE5 8AF, UK;3. Section of Clinical Neurophysiology, Department of Psychiatry , Institute of Psychiatry , London, SE5 8AF, UK;4. Department of Neurophysiology , Broadmoor Hospital , RG45 7EG, Crowthorne, Berkshire, UK;5. Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria , Oak Street, Parkville, 3052, Victoria, Australia;6. Ninewells Hospital Medical School, University of Dundee , Dundee;7. Department of Neurophysiology , Broadmoor Hospital , Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG45 7EG, UK;8. Psychological Medicine , Institute of Psychiatry , London, SE5 8AF |
| Abstract: | Abstract A study is described which characterised the female population of Broadmoor Special Hospital on a scale (Robertson et al., 1987) which rates violence associated with the index offence and previous episodes of violence both in terms of prosecuted violence and unprosecuted incidents. This scale has been applied recently to the male population of Broadmoor (Wong et al., 1993). The findings here confirm the notion that the female population of a Special Hospital are less violent than the males in terms of rating of violence associated with the index offence and in previous convictions for violent offending. The females contain a larger proportion of patients convicted of the offence of Arson (index offence) and patients transferred from other hospitals because of being unmanageable in these settings (under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act). Extreme ratings of violence amongst the females is associated with a diagnosis of personality disorder rather than schizophrenia or psychosis. |
| Keywords: | violence arson mentally abnormal offenders maximum security hospital female |