Crime rates are higher among patients with schizophrenia than in the general population. Denmark has seen a substantial increase in the number of forensic patients since 1980 with annual growth rates reaching 7%. In the same period, the population of forensic patients with schizophrenia has increased from 50% to 75%. Evidence-based care for patients with schizophrenia is well-established in international and national guidelines. However, a possible association between quality of care and risk of crime among patients with schizophrenia has not previously been studied.

To study the association between quality of care and risk of crime among patients with schizophrenia.

This nationwide population-based follow-up study is based on the Danish National Indictor Project (DNIP), a national clinical database for patients with schizophrenia, and the Danish Crime Register, a national register of criminal offences. We include all incident and prevalent patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (ICD-10: F20.00-F20.99), who are Danish citizens and older than 18 years. All patients have been admitted as inpatients at a psychiatric ward in the period 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2007 (approx 20,000 patients). In DNIP quality of care is assessed as fulfilment of a set of quality of care criteria related to the diagnostic process, contact with the health care system, use of antipsychotic medication, evaluation of side effects, family intervention, psycho education, planned outpatient treatment by discharge and suicide prevention. All patients will be followed up for 1-year after discharge. We identified all convictions for both violent and property crimes in the population.