Abstract
In Texas, the responsibility for the determination of dangerousness has, since 1975, been vested in a board appointed by the commissioner of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. The composition of this board has twice been changed by the legislature as a result of public concern that review boards may have been too lenient in releasing potentially dangerous individuals from custody. The performance of the two most recent of these boards is compared and decision patterns are found to be complex and not directly related to the professional affiliations of board members.
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