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Chapter 19 - Forensic Psychiatry and Intellectual Disability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2024

By
Harm Boer
Edited by
Mary Davoren  and
Harry G. Kennedy
Mary Davoren
Affiliation:
Broadmoor Hospital and West London NHS Trust
Harry G. Kennedy
Affiliation:
Trinity College Dublin
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Summary

A small number of people with intellectual disability (ID) (or learning disability; previously mental retardation) offend or are suspected of having offended. Below average intellectual ability appears to be predictive of future offending behaviour [1] but it is not clear whether those who have a significant ID are over-represented in the criminal justice system (CJS) [2]. Recognising and diagnosing ID in the CJS is notoriously difficult despite screening tools having been developed, such as the Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire (LDSQ) [3].

Keywords

Forensic servicesIntellectual disabilities
Type
Chapter
Information
Seminars in Forensic Psychiatry , pp. 400 - 406
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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