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Forensic Psychiatry Research Society |
EUROPA HOTEL, BELFAST
3rd February 2005
Programme
1345-1500 hours
Dr Lindsay D.G. Thomson
Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh and Honorary Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, The State Hospital
To provide an update on the issues facing academic forensic psychiatry.
To present 2 original research reports on Mapping the Origins of Proisoners. To discuss research collaboration in medium secure units.
Professor Pamela Taylor
Professor Taylor will outline some of the current issues facing academic forensic psychiatry and these will be discussed.
Dr Harry Kennedy, Conor Tjelur, Brenda Wright, Alan Kelly
Address information for 8615 of 10,330 individuals committed to the Irish Prison system in 2003 was used to map prisoners to 217 Urban/Rural districts nationally. Records were coded to district level, and age-sex rates were generated using Census 2002 figures. Expected imprisonment numbers for each district were then determined. Bayesian adjustment was apllied to calculate the Standardised Imprisonment Ratios (SPR). Population densities are calculated on the basis of the most recent census data. A measure of deprivation was used which is modelled on census indices of economic disadvantage for the Irish population.
We found a relationship between the Bayesian Standardised Imprisonment Ratios in the 217 districts and their deprivation scores, with a sharp increase in SPR above a derivation score of 8. Further analysis showed that this holds true only for those districts with population density above the median, that is urban districts.
We concluded that the Irish prison population is disproportionately drawn from those districts that combine high economic deprivation scores with high popoulation density. Rural poverty does not carry with it the risk of imprisonment that is conveyed by urban poverty.
Harry Kennedy, Brenda Wright, Katherine Curtin, Sally Linehan, Dearbhla Duffy, Stephen Monks, Conor Tjelur, Alan Kelly
This study aims to clarify whether prisoners with mental illness within the Irish Prison system are drawn from urban deprived areas.
We have previously gathered data on 615 committals to a Dublin remand centre, detecting a six-month prevalence of mental illness of 16%. We additionally have addresses for all committals to Irish Prisons in 2003. Using measures of material deprivation which concentrate on census indices of economic disadvantage for the Irish population we can map the origins of prisoners to district electoral divisions with deprivation scores. Population densities are calculated from the most recent census data.
It is hypothesised that prisoners with mental illness are disproportionately drawn from densely populated deprived areas of Dublin, as it has previously been shown that prisoners transferred to the National Forensic Psychiatric Hospital follow this pattern precisely (O'Neill et al, 2002).
Stuart Thomas, Lecturer in Forensic Mental Health Science, Institute of Psychiatry
There is a great deal of research being carried out in forensic mental health services all around the country but there is very little consistency when it comes to the methodology and measures that have been used. Consequently a meeting of Clinical Directors of Medium Secure Units was convened to discuss the possibility of developing a network to suport research using a standard set of assessment and outcome measures. progress with the development of the pro forma will be presented, and feedback and suggestions on how to refine the measures further will be sought.