WHAT IS CURRENTLY KNOWN ABOUT OLDER MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS IN FORENSIC CONTEXTS: RESULTS FROM A LITERATURE REVIEW

Year 2010, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 127 - 135, 01.06.2010

Stefaan De Smet Stijn Vandevelde Dominique Verté Eric Broekaert

Abstract

As in most Western countries, Belgium is confronted with a growth of the older offender
population. There is currently a dearth in research on the living conditions and needs of older
offenders being judged as irresponsible for their offences because of mental illness.
Therefore, from a gerontological perspective an explorative literature review has been carried out
to investigate which features characterize the subpopulation of older mentally ill offenders.
This paper presents and discusses the findings about following themes: definition of an age
threshold in forensic contexts, the nature of offences commit by older mentally ill offenders,
psychopathology, physical health and victimization and vulnerability

Keywords

older , elderly , mentally ill offenders , forensic

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