NCJ Number
178061
Date Published
1997
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This bulletin provides information on restricted patients admitted to, detained in, or discharged from hospitals in England and Wales between 1986 and 1996 under mental health legislation; it also provides information on the admission to a hospital of unrestricted mentally disordered offenders.
Abstract
The number of restricted patients in a hospital at the end of 1996 was 2,586, a 4-percent increase from the previous year; this is similar to the average yearly increase in recent years. The number transferred from a prison to a hospital was 746, a 3- percent increase over the previous year but below the peak of 785 in 1994. The number admitted to hospitals was 1,057 in 1996, a 5- percent increase from the previous year but below the peak of 1,117 in 1994. A total of 931 restricted patients were released into the community or otherwise left a hospital in 1996, an 18- percent increase over 1995 but lower than the number recorded in 1994. Of the admissions in 1996, the largest single group (37 percent) consisted of those convicted of or charged with violent acts against the person, including murder; however, this represents the lowest proportion of patients admitted for this type of offense over the 10-year period. The number of restricted patients admitted after having been convicted of or charged with sexual offenses has increased from 31 in 1986 to 93 in 1996. Admissions for burglary increased from 15 in 1986 to 103 in 1996. 5 figures, 18 tables, and 20 notes