Citation

Lepresle A, Vidal C, Mairesse E, Chariot P. J. Forensic Sci. 2016; 62(3): 715-721.

Affiliation

Institut de recherche interdisciplinaire sur les enjeux sociaux (IRIS), UMR 8156-997, UFR SMBH, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris 13, Paris, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13337

PMID

28008614

Abstract

In this retrospective study (11/2013-04/2014), we aimed to identify the factors associated with psychiatric hospitalization among detainees in police custody. We included 137 patients (M/F, 74%/26%; median age, 37 years), and 125 (91%) had a mental disorder. Seventy-seven patients (56%) had involuntary hospitalization. Sixty patients (44%) were declared fit for detention, and 48 (80%) of these patients had a mental disorder. All patients who required urgent psychiatric care and could not provide valid consent for care were declared as requiring involuntary hospitalization. Forty-nine of the 62 patients (79%) who required urgent psychiatric care and were suspected to have committed serious crimes were involuntarily admitted. In conclusion, we commonly found that some individuals with mental disorders were considered fit for detention in police cells.

© 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en