Comparative outcomes for a national cohort of persons convicted of murder, with and without serious mental illness, and those found not guilty by reason of insanity on a murder charge: A 25-year follow-up study.

This study provides some evidence that incarceration periods for life-sentenced homicide perpetrators with SMI may be reduced without increasing community risk if hospital transfer and/or more targeted interventions are provided in prison. It also provides further evidence that persons found NGRI after a charge of murder have a relatively low risk of criminal recidivism. The stigma that may sometimes attach to such offenders is unwarranted, if it relies on concerns about risk of reoffending.