Geriatric offenders examined at a forensic psychiatry clinic.

This descriptive research paper reports on 52 geriatric defendants accused of criminal offenses and referred for forensic psychiatric evaluation. It addresses demographic and clinical variables in that population. The authors hope that the data will assist in planning for forensic and therapeutic services for geriatric persons in the criminal justice system.

The Mariel refugee and the New York Criminal Court.

In the spring of 1980, the Mariel Boat Lift brought refugees from Communist Cuba to the shores of Florida. Most refugees came seeking political freedom, but many were sent by the Cuban Government directly from its prisons and mental institutions. Literal rejects of their own society, they arrived in this country and spent many months interned in refugee camps. As they moved out into local communities, their behavioral problems began to come to the attention of local authorities. This paper describes the "Marielitos" seen in the Forensic Psychiatry Clinic for the Criminal and Supreme Courts of New York between mid-1980 and mid-1985. It explores how their reactions to their new environment may be affected by their past psychiatric and criminal histories, their language barrier, and the stress of the emigration experience.

Forensic psychiatric evaluations of women accused of felonies: a three-year descriptive study.

Descriptive statistics are presented for 95 female offenders evaluated in the Forensic Psychiatry Clinic for the New York Criminal and Supreme Court (First Judicial District). Demographic data, criminal charges, psychiatric diagnoses, prior mental health treatment, and victims of offenses are examined.

Geriatric felons examined at a forensic psychiatry clinic.

Descriptive statistics are presented on 25 defendants in the geriatric age range (aged 62 to 78 years old). Demographic variables, criminal charges, medical, neurological and psychiatric illnesses, prior criminal offenses, and final dispositions of the cases are tabulated, and implications for the criminal justice system and social services are discussed.

Women and arson: a demographic study.

This study describes women accused of setting fires in the City of New York who were evaluated between 1980 and 1983 at the Forensic Psychiatry Clinic for the New York Criminal and Supreme Courts. Consideration is given to their age, ethnicity, history of prior mental illness, abuse of controlled substances, economic status, family background, education, and employment. Their methodology, planning, and targeting for their firesetting behavior, as well as reported motivations for engaging in arson, are also considered.