Adjustment of the Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) Outpatient: An Initial Report

Abstract

Abstract Adjustment to outpatient treatment of not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) patients following discharge from inpatient settings was explored by following 44 subjects in a 2-year, longitudinal study. Data obtained for each subject included demographic characteristics, Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Research Diagnostic Criteria (SADS-RDC) diagnosis, and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Repeated measures included the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Change Form (SADS-C), Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90), and Holmes ahe Inventory. No recidivism occurred for any crime against persons, 25% of subjects were rehospitalized, and those subjects remaining in outpatient treatment showed a general pattern of stable to modestly improving functioning. Implications for safe and effective community treatment of NGRI acquittees are discussed.