NCJ Number
90126
Journal
Journal of Psychiatry and Law Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1980) Pages: 389-411
Date Published
1980
Length
23 pages
Annotation
The court's use of the state hospital has been characterized by misuse of criminal commitment statutes to gain admission for defendants. The author examines this process by focusing on the interaction between hospital and court during a 1-month period.
Abstract
The outcome indicates that despite the best intentions of both the legal and psychiatric professions, criminal commitments yield neither a treatment program nor an aftercare plan. Specific suggestions concerning professional education, forensic services, chronic community care, and community education are made with a focus toward the diminution of inappropriate referrals to the state hospital by the criminal justice system. (Publisher abstract)