Detention in Broadmoor

Abstract

When the length of stay of restricted patients admitted to Broadmoor under the legal category of psychopathic disorder was examined, the factor found to be of primary importance was the gravity of the admission offence. If the men's offences did not cause personal injury, they had a good chance of early release. Patients convicted of violent or sexual offences, and particularly those who attacked strangers, made up the great majority of the long-term group. For the mentally ill there was no relationship between length of stay and admission offence: instead the data suggested that severity and chronicity of illness were the main relevant factors.