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| Crime |
Crime
Mental health problems make a substantial contribution to offending behaviour and a very high proportion of people in prison (including those on remand) have one or more mental disorders (Singleton et al 1998), so prevention is likely to result in considerable savings. One major longitudinal study found a clear gradient in crime risk between those with conduct disorder, those with ‘some conduct problems’ and those with no problems, confirming that small improvements in emotional adjustment in children can have a significant impact on subsequent crime rates (Ferguson et al 2005; see also Keyes 2006; Scott et al 2001).
Mental health problems make a substantial contribution to offending behaviour and a very high proportion of people in prison (including those on remand) have one or more mental disorders (Singleton et al 1998), so prevention is likely to result in considerable savings. One major longitudinal study found a clear gradient in crime risk between those with conduct disorder, those with ‘some conduct problems’ and those with no problems, confirming that small improvements in emotional adjustment in children can have a significant impact on subsequent crime rates (Ferguson et al 2005; see also Keyes 2006; Scott et al 2001).
