Assertive community treatment and associations with delinquency

Maaike D. van Vugt*, Hans Kroon, Philippe A. E. G. Delespaul, Cornelis L. Mulder

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This article draws on a prospective longitudinal study in which Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model fidelity and patient outcomes were assessed in twenty outpatient treatment teams. 530 severely mentally ill patients participated in the study. Delinquency outcomes were assessed three times during a two-year followup period. At baseline, 49% of the patients had a recent criminal history, meaning that they had at least one reported contact with the police and/or the justice system in the past year. Patients with a recent criminal history had more serious psychosocial problems at baseline compared to those without a recent criminal history. Delinquency outcomes showed improvement over time, but this was not associated with ACT model fidelity. The study shows an association for homelessness and criminal activity. The persistent criminal activities of some of the patients showed that for this group extra interventions are needed that specifically target reduction of criminal behavior.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)93-97
JournalInternational Journal of Law and Psychiatry
Volume49
Issue numberPart A
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

Keywords

  • Assertive community treatment
  • Outcome assessment
  • Delinquency
  • Model fidelity
  • Psychosocial problems
  • Severe mental illness

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