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Changes in the Sentencing of Diminished Responsibility Homicides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Susanne Dell  and
Alan Smith
Susanne Dell
Affiliation:
Biometrics Unit Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Alan Smith
Affiliation:
Biometrics Unit Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
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Summary

The majority of men convicted of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility used to receive hospital orders, but are now receiving prison sentences. A sample of offenders convicted between 1966 and 1977 was studied to see the reasons for the change. It was found that the make-up of the offender population did not change materially over the period, nor did the willingness of judges to make hospital orders. What changed was the pattern of treatment recommendations made by the examining doctors in their court reports.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 142 , Issue 1 , January 1983 , pp. 20 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © 1983 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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References

Baker, R. J. & Nelder, J. A. (1978) The GLIM System, Release 3. Numerical Algorithms Group, Oxford.Google Scholar
Department of Health and Social Security and Home Office. (1974) Interim Report of the Committee on Mentally Abnormal Offenders. Cmnd. 5698. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Department of Health and Social Security and Home Office. (1975) Report of the Committee on Mentally Abnormal Offenders (Butler Report). Cmnd. 6244. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Home Office. (1973) Report of the Work of the Prison Department. Cmnd. 5767. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
World Health Organisation. (1978) Mental Disorders: Glossary and Guide to their Classification in Accordance with the Ninth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
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