Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being of Mentally Disordered Offenders after Court Diversion: A 6-Month Follow-Up

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the quality of life and the psychological well-being of mentally disordered offenders 6 months after being diverted from one court diversion scheme in England. A total of 65 offenders (58 male, 7 female) participated in the study, which used the Life Experiences Checklists (LEC) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The results showed that, when compared with the data of the standardized urban samples of Ager, the quality of life of offenders was significantly lower than that of the standardized population. Further analyses demonstrated that there were significant differences in the quality of life between the offenders who lived in private households, prisons, hostels, and hospitals.

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