An analysis of under trial prisoners admitted in a mental hospital for mental health assessment.

BACKGROUND

Assessment of medicolegal cases referred from the Court of Law/Prison has both mental health and legal implications. Most of the medicolegal cases, who are committing the crime are associated with comorbid psychiatric conditions that need assessments both for treatment and legal point of view considering the punishment.

AIM: The study aims to find an association between sociodemographic variables and criminal behaviors and focuses on other sociocultural factors responsible for crime.

METHODS

The study involved a record based analytical cross sectional study, which included detailed medical histories, sociodemographic profiles, information about referrals of criminal behaviors and treatment records of under trail prisoners admitted from 2014 to 2024.

RESULTS

Statistically significant associations were found between family type and criminal behaviors (P < 0.05) and family history of mental illness and criminal behaviors (P < 0.05). The mental health morbidity was directly proportional to the duration of the stay in prison as per the findings (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The study findings concluded that sociodemographic determinants like male gender, unemployment, rural habitat, and persons living in the nuclear family were more involved in criminal behaviors, and prisoners who were spending more time inside the prison, due to negative psychosocial environment, had increased incidence of psychiatric illness.