Crimes by people with schizophrenia in Korea: comparison with the general population

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to describe the prevalence of crimes committed by persons with schizophrenia using population-based data and to compare the crime prevalence of persons with schizophrenia and the general population. METHODS: The number of crimes was obtained from the Korean National Policy Agency (KNPA) crime statistics (2012–2016), which provide the number of crimes in terms of the criminal’s mental status and mental health conditions. For the number of persons with schizophrenia, estimates were used which had been calculated from the inpatient and outpatient claims from the National Health Insurance Service. The crime prevalence in persons with schizophrenia was calculated according to the types of crimes, and a comparison with the general population was conducted. RESULTS: The overall crime prevalence of persons with schizophrenia was 72.7 to 90.3 per 10,000 from 2012 through 2016, which was about one fifth that of the general population. While the crime rates of the persons with schizophrenia were lower than the general population in most types of crimes including violence, intellectual crimes, and theft, the prevalence of murder, arson, and drug-related crimes in persons with schizophrenia was about five times, six times, and two times that of the general population respectively. CONCLUSION: The higher prevalence of serious offences among persons with schizophrenia suggests the need for closer and more appropriate care for the population, which would be achieved through effective continuity of institutional and community care.