Does clozapine promote employability and reduce offending among mentally disordered offenders?

OBJECTIVE

To compare employment pay, count of infractions, and clinical symptoms in psychiatric inmates treated with clozapine or other antipsychotics after 6 months of treatment.

METHODS

Clinical charts and institutional offence records of psychiatric inmates (n = 98), comprised of those on clozapine (n = 65) and on other antipsychotics (n = 33), were reviewed at baseline and after 6 months of treatment. The outcome measures used were Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores, employment pay, medication compliance, and the frequency of institutional offences. A binary logistic regression model was used to analyze a categorical change in pay variable, while a negative binomial model was used to analyze the frequency of infractions.

RESULTS

Treatment with clozapine was associated with greater odds of a pay increase (OR = 3.13; 95% CI 1.3 to 7.53, P = 0.01). However, patients on other antipsychotics had a more favourable improvement in BPRS (F = 5.44, df = 1,57, P = 0.02). Patients on other antipsychotics also had a higher count of posttreatment offences (Incidence Rate Ratio = 2.22; 95% CI 1.11 to 4.41, P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Clozapine probably has a favourable effect on inmate behaviour and institutional adjustment. This effect can last up to 36 months after the initial dose.