Legal and human rights issues in the use of electronic monitoring (using GPS 'tracking' technology) in forensic mental health settings in the UK.

Electronic monitoring (EM) of individuals has been used by the criminal justice system for the past thirty years, and in the UK, use is on the increase. Its use has been justified as an alternative to prison to reduce recidivism and allowing early release of prisoners, however, the evidence base for this remains mixed. In 2010, it was employed for the first time in a forensic psychiatry setting.

Childhood adversity and conduct disorder: A developmental pathway to violence in schizophrenia.

Background: Both childhood adversity and conduct disorder are over-represented among adult patients with schizophrenia and have been proposed as significant factors that may increase the risk of violence. It is not known how childhood adversity and conduct disorder might interact to contribute towards an increased risk of violence in schizophrenia. This study aimed to explore the relationships between childhood adversity, conduct disorder and violence among men with schizophrenia.

New technologies in the management of risk and violence in forensic settings.

Novel technological interventions are increasingly used in mental health settings. In this article, we describe 3 novel technological strategies in use for management of risk and violence in 2 forensic psychiatry settings in the United Kingdom: electronic monitoring by GPS-based tracking devices of patients on leave from a medium secure service in London, and closed circuit television (CCTV) monitoring and motion sensor technology at Broadmoor high secure hospital. A common theme is the use of these technologies to improve the completeness and accuracy of data used by clinicians to make clinical decisions.

Can electronic monitoring (GPS 'tracking') enhance risk management in psychiatry?

Electronic monitoring has been used in criminal justice and some health settings for three decades. Technological interventions are becoming more common in psychiatry, but may be a cause for ethical concerns and controversy. We discuss electronic monitoring as an aid to security and public safety in a forensic setting.

Emotional arousal in cocaine exposed toddlers: prediction of behavior problems.

Unlabelled: Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) may be associated with alterations in children's developing emotional arousal and regulation systems.

Objective: We examined emotional responses to a frustrating task and subsequent behavior problems in 225 2 1/2 year olds (129 Prenatally Cocaine and Other Drug Exposed [PCE], 30 Non Cocaine but other drug Exposed [NCE], 66 Non Drug Exposed [NDE]).

Method: Children's behaviors in a frustrating toy wait task at age 2 1/2 were coded for emotional arousal and regulation behaviors.

A comparison of statistical models in predicting violence in psychotic illness.

Background: The application of statistical modeling techniques, including classification and regression trees, in the prediction of violence has increasingly received attention.

Methods: The predictive performance of logistic regression and classification tree methods in predicting violence was explored in a sample of patients with psychotic illness.

Results: Of 2 logistic regression models, the forward stepwise method produced a simpler model than the full model, but the latter performed better.

Predicting violence in schizophrenia: a prospective study.

Background: People with schizophrenia are more violent than the general population, but this increased risk is attributable to the actions of a small subgroup. Identifying those at risk has become an essential part of clinical practice.

Aims: To estimate the risk factors for assault in patients with schizophrenia.

Violence and schizophrenia: examining the evidence.

Background: It is now accepted that people with schizophrenia are significantly more likely to be violent than other members of the general population. A less acknowledged fact is that the proportion of societal violence attributable to schizophrenia is small.

Aims: To critically examine the epidemiological evidence for the association between violence and schizophrenia and estimate the impact of this association on society.