Part I: The NGRI Registry: initial analyses of data collected on Connecticut insanity acquittees.

Abstract

The NGRI Registry is a comprehensive census database collected by the Law and Psychiatry Division of the Department of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine. This longitudinal database was compiled following a systematic search of all available docket books from the superior courts and mental health records from the state hospitals in Connecticut beginning in January 1970. Detailed life span information is available for 364 insanity acquittees identified during the search. Comparative analyses with four other locales suggested that there were regional differences in diagnoses of and crimes committed by the acquittees. These initial analyses demonstrate the promise of this registry becoming one tool for collaborative research on issues relevant to law and mental health.