Consequences of accommodation and detention

Consequences of accommodation and detention

We study the effects of various environmental conditions on mental health, behaviour, brain function and structure of incarcerated individuals. Among other things, this research ties in with our evaluation of the treatment of offenders with addiction problems in the "Entziehungsanstalt" (§ 64 StGB).

What does this look like in practice?

In a current project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), we are investigating the consequences of imprisonment. For this purpose, people are examined for the first time during the first days of pre-trial detention and again after 1 year. At the time of the second examination, one group of initially incarcerated people will have been free for at least 6 months because they were released from pre-trial detention, and the other half will have been incarcerated for at least 1 year. People who have received a suspended sentence will serve as another control group. We apply behavioral testing, structural and functional brain imaging, and diagnostic interviews to examine the consequences of incarceration.

Selected publications

  • Fuss, J., Marquardt, I., Briken, P., & Konrad, N. (2021). Compulsory medication of people with mental disorders in the penal system: The situation in Germany and recommendations for clinical practice. Der Nervenarzt, 92(1), 27-35.
  • Schalast, N., Frey, M., Nau, B., Boateng, S., & Leygraf, N. (2021). Forensic Addiction Treatment in Germany: an Evaluation of its Effects on Criminal Recidivism and a Response to Critical Comments. Psychiatrische Praxis, 48(8), 412-420.

Contact

Prof. Dr. med. Johannes Fuß

E-Mail: johannes.fuss@uni-due.de