The demographic profile, substance use, competence to stand trial and criminal responsibility among “ Observation Patients” admitted for forensic psychiatric evaluation at Sterkfontein Hospital, Gauteng, South Africa.
| dc.contributor.author | Pillay, Anben | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2011-10-19T05:41:47Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2011-10-19T05:41:47Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2011-10-19 | |
| dc.description.abstract | A review of the literature indicates that young males, who are unemployed with low levels of education, predominate in populations of pre-trial criminal offenders suspected of having a psychiatric illness, also known as “Observation Patients” according to the Criminal Procedures Act of 1977 in South Africa. Other contributory factors include a history of mental illness and non-compliance on psychiatric medication, a previous forensic history, co-morbid substance abuse and being intoxicated at the time of the offence. Dual diagnosis is considered a key contributor to criminal behaviour in this group of patients. The review of the literature also shows a significant proportion of co-morbid intellectual disability among offenders found to be psychiatrically ill at the time of the criminal event. A previous study conducted 20 years earlier, in 1986 at the Sterkfontein Forensic Psychiatric Unit by Vorster (1986) showed that the typical profile was a single, unemployed, poorly educated male in his twenties, usually with a history of psychiatric treatment. This typical profile confirmed the evidence in the literatures at the time of the study. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10539/10574 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.subject | forensic psychiatry | |
| dc.subject | observation patients | |
| dc.subject | substance abuse | |
| dc.title | The demographic profile, substance use, competence to stand trial and criminal responsibility among “ Observation Patients” admitted for forensic psychiatric evaluation at Sterkfontein Hospital, Gauteng, South Africa. | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |