Comparing Institutionalization Periods and Subsequent Arrests of Insanity Acquittees and Convicted Felons

Abstract

Forty-six defendants adjudicated “not guilty by reason of insanity” (NGRI) between 1965 and 1971 were matched with a comparable group of defendants who had committed the same criminal act, pled guilty, and were imprisoned. Results indicated that: (1) as a group, the institutionalization time of NGRI acquittees did not differ significantly from the felons although institutionalization time did differ for specific offense categories; and (2) postinstitutional arrest rates of the NGRI and felon subjects were quite similar.