P0133 - Principles of release from punishment for convicts with mental disorder in Russia

Abstract

Background:

Convicted people with serious mental disorders are subject to release from punishment.

Aim of Study:

To bring out criteria determining release from punishment because of mental disorder.

Materials and Methods:

81 convicted people were studied, who had been previously examined by psychiatrists in order to assess the possibility of release from punishment.

Results:

According Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, if after committing crime a person develops a mental disorder that disables him either from realizing actual character and social danger of his behaviour (inaction) or from controlling it, is released from punishment, and a person already serving a sentence is released from further serving it. Such people are referred to a compulsory psychiatry treatment.

80% of convicted people released from punishment because of mental disorder were diagnosed with schizophrenia, 8% - with dementia, 7% - with organic mental disorders, 5% had a different diagnosis.

Psychiatrists assess the following factors:

availability of either psychotic mental disorder or dementia; statement of mental disorder intensity depriving a convicted person of the ability to “either realize actual character and social danger of his behaviour (inaction) or control it”, to understand the purpose of punishment, essence of remedial and educational measures applied to him; sufficient duration; availability of pronounced tendency to psychopathologic disorder amplification, its progressive dynamics; pessimistic prognosis in clinical, social, correctional and labour aspects with regard to the term for serving punishment; considerable dysadaptation (microsocial, secure, occupational) disabling from application of correctional measures to a convicted person and from his detention.