A study of the civil commitment of mentally disordered criminals

Abstract

Though criminal offenders with mental disturbances have traditionally been treated in special systems for “the criminally insane,” the state of Ohio recently passed legislation authorizing the civil commitment of mentally disordered offenders to civil mental hospitals. Personnel in the civil hospitals feared an inundation of criminals into their hospitals. Research conducted at four hospitals in the state found no consistent evidence to support these fears. At only two of the four hospitals was there any evidence that the legislation may have had an impact on admissions. Furthermore, the evidence at these two hospitals was somewhat inconsistent. An especially interesting finding was the fact that mentally disordered offenders were already appearing at the civil hospitals in sizable numbers before the new legislation.