»Hun plejer da at kunne tåle, at jeg truer med at hente en motorsav ...« – Vold og trusler mod offentligt ansatte undersøgt i en dansk retspsykiatrisk population

Abstract

English title:  “But she usually tolerates when I threaten to get a chainsaw ...” A study of assaults against public servants among a population of Danish mentally disordered offenders

The issue of violence and threats against public servants has attracted significant public attention in recent years and plays an important role in the ongoing discussion of possible explanations for the recent significant growth in the number of sentences to psychiatric treatment in Denmark. The proportion of sentences given for violence and threats against public servants (Danish Penal Code § 119) has increased dramatically, from 5 % in 1980 to approximately 25 % of the total annual number of new sentences to some kind of psychiatric measure in 2014. Studies show that victims are most frequently social and health care assistants, nurses and physicians.  This study is part of a larger mixed method study comprising all patients treated in a specialized forensic outreach team (ForACT) in the Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark over a period of 7½ years (20062014) (n=181). The types of assault against public servants examined in this sample are diverse, varying from mockery and verbal threats to physical attacks with severe injuries. Displaying complexity and diversity, the mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) in this study are generally characterised as having significant social problems, severe mental illness, substance use issues, and extensive criminal records. MDOs in the sample who have been convicted under § 119 seem to score higher than MDOs never convicted of assaults against public servants on a range of parameters, e.g., criminal onset, type of crime(s) committed, and frequency of psychiatric hospitalisation.