In an international comparison Sweden has a high proportion of pre-trial psychiatric evaluations. The purpose of the study was to look for the most likely reasons for such a referral in the Linköping region. The basic material came from court records and from medical and social reports. It was found that the courts' knowledge of previous psychiatric treatment was the most important reason (44 per cent), followed by nature of the offence (31 per cent), management problems (14 per cent) and awkward behaviour at the proceedings (12 per cent). The results support the view that forensic psychiatric evaluations may serve different social functions in different countries.
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