Forensic psychiatric assessment process and outcome in state patients in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

South African Journal of Psychiatry

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Forensic psychiatric assessment process and outcome in state patients in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
 
Creator Houidi, Ahlem Paruk, Saeeda Sartorius, Benn
 
Subject — Legislations for mentally ill accused; fitness to stand trial; forensic mental assessment; criminal responsibility
Description Background: Individuals who were charged with a serious offence may be referred by courts for forensic psychiatric assessment. The court may declare them as state patients if they are found unfit to stand trial or not criminally responsible because of mental illness or defect.In forensic psychiatry practice, there may be challenges in the forensic psychiatric observation process, and discrepancies may occur between the clinician report and the court’s decision.Objectives: To describe elements of the forensic psychiatric observation and discuss the legal correlates associated with the admission of state patients.Method: A retrospective study of the forensic psychiatric observation records of 91 newly admitted state patients at a forensic unit in KwaZulu-Natal over a 3-year period.Results: A total of 71 state patients (78.02%) were found not fit to stand trial and 10 patients (10.99%) were not criminally responsible. Nine patients (9.89%) were fit to stand trial and criminally responsible but still declared state patients and 13 state patients (14.29%) did not commit a serious offence. There was correlation for diagnosis between the assessing and the treating psychiatrists.Conclusion: The findings of the forensic observation were not always considered by the courts. Individuals found fit to stand trial, those found criminally responsible and those who did not commit serious crimes were declared state patients. 
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2018-03-20
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip application/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v24i0.1142
 
Source South African Journal of Psychiatry; Vol 24 (2018); 6 pages 2078-6786 1608-9685
 
Language eng
 
Relation
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https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1142/993 https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1142/992 https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1142/994 https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1142/985
 
Coverage — — —
Rights https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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