Rising inpatient numbers in forensic security hospitals of German federal state of Baden‐Württemberg: Background and explanatory approaches

• Published in: Behavioral sciences & the law Vol. 38; no. 5; pp. 522 - 536
• Main Authors: Ross, Thomas, Fontao, María Isabel, Bulla, Jan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.09.2020
• Subjects: After care; Criminal Law - trends; Criminals - psychology; Epidemiology; Facilities and Services Utilization - trends; Forensic Psychiatry - trends; Germany - epidemiology; Hospitals; Hospitals, Psychiatric - trends; Humans; Inpatient care; Inpatients - statistics & numerical data; Mental Disorders - therapy; Mental health services; Migrants; Migration; National security; Patients; Psychosis; Security; Special hospitals; Variables; Germany
• ISSN: 0735-3936; 1099-0798
• DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2481

In this article, we describe critical epidemiological trends in forensic psychiatric care in the German federal state of Baden‐Württemberg. For some years, there has been a marked increase in the number of patients with psychoses and with a migration background in the high‐security hospitals of Baden‐Württemberg. We present a number of studies exploring hypotheses as to why this is the case. Taking into account a set of person‐related and non‐person (forensic system)‐related variables, we suggest that rising treatment figures may be understood in terms of system variables rather than individual patient characteristics. Findings regarding predictors of treatment length and legal outcome, as well as characteristics of migrant patients and patients assigned to forensic aftercare, are discussed.