OBJECTIVE Sexual assault evidence collection kits (SAECKs) are used to collect evidence for DNA recovery after rape. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of completion of the kits by health care workers in 6 provinces of South Africa. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted to code SAECKs that were analysed at one forensic science laboratory in South Africa. RESULTS The find...

BACKGROUND Secure hospitals are a high-cost, low-volume service consuming around a fifth of the overall mental health budget in England and Wales. AIMS A systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse outcomes after discharge along with a comparison with rates in other clinical and forensic groups in order to inform public health and policy. METHOD We searched for primary studies that follo...

This article presents the results of a mixed methods study of 68 legal abortion services in Brazil. The services were analyzed in two stages. The first stage was a census, in which all the institutions were sent an electronic questionnaire about the organization of the legal abortion services. The second stage was conducted in a sample of 5 reference services, one for each region of the country...

For the past several years a numerous studies in the field of forensic psychiatry confirmed a close relationship between violent offenders and comorbid substance abuse. The comorbid substance abuse in violent offenders was usually unrecognized and misdiagnosed. Furthermore, comorbidity in forensic psychiatry describes the co-occurrence of two or more conditions or psychiatric disorder known in ...

This paper examines the evidence to justify intervening in those with personality disorder, specifically antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, American Psychiatric Association 1994). The evidence from randomized controlled trials in the mental health literature is reviewed and found to be deficient with only five ...

Traditionally, forensic mental health services have focused on the assessment and treatment of offenders with serious mental disorders. In recent years, there has been growing recognition that forensic clinicians have an important role to play for those offenders who engage in criminal acts driven by psychological or/and social problems, which may, or may not, occur in conjunction with a major ...

While much discussion has been devoted to defining the standards of care required when offering services to survivors of sexual violence, much less attention has been given to procedures for evidence collection to allow the successful prosecution of perpetrators. In Kenya there are no comprehensive guidelines that outline the roles of the survivor, the community, health care workers, and the po...

Elder abuse forensic centers present a new model of multidisciplinary collaboration on elder abuse cases. The "clients" of a forensic center are Adult Protective Services (APS), law enforcement, and the Long-term Care Ombudsman. Centers take the basic multidisciplinary team model and add a geriatrician and a psychologist. Additionally, forensic center team members make home visits with APS and ...