Treatment of forensic patients: An expanding role for public psychiatric hospitals

This article explores the increased role of state-operated public psychiatr ic hospitals in treating forensic patients. Patients with a forensic legal status have a mental illness and are involved with the criminal justice sys tem. Using data from Missouri's forensic system, the article compares the c haracteristics of voluntary hospital patients with those of the largest hos pitalized group of forensic patients-there found not guilty by reason of in sanity (NGRI). Overall, NGRI patients tended to be higher functioning, less likely to have committed assaultive acts, and more likely to have substanc e abuse and personality disorder diagnoses. The article explores the treatm ent needs of forensic patients who reside in public psychiatric hospitals a nd discusses the effect of the strong presence of forensic patients in publ ic psychiatric hospitals on social work practice, including clinical work w ith forensic patients, social work administration, and social work advocacy .