The trajectory of forensic psychiatric patients from prison to care: A mixed methods evaluation of the InReach project in Flemish criminal institutions
Background: The transfer of internees from prison to care is difficult and many internees are re-­incarcerated after forensic care. The InReach project started by the medium-­security forensic cluster of Openbaar Psychiatrisch Zorgcentrum (OPZC) Rekem tries to meet this need.
Purpose: Evaluation of the InReach project by zooming in on the objectives: (1) better access to care, (2) increasing motivation, and (3) decreasing drop-­out.
Methods: Qualitative research by means of semi-­structured interviews in Flemish penal institutions and FPC Antwerp. Quantitative research of recorded data concerning the forensic patients admitted in forensic units of OPZC Rekem starting from October 2012 until May 2021.
Results: The qualitative research highlighted that the project was received positively, it resulted in a better motivation for patients and smoother communication between institutions. The quantitative research found no difference in number of referrals back to the penal institution between InReach and non-­InReach patients.
Conclusion: The InReach project leans in on the recent literature about motivation, readiness and pretherapy as factors of influence on the start of treatment. Nevertheless, the expectation that forensic patients would more often complete their treatment when they were admitted through InReach was not realized. This finding may have been influenced by the multiple changes that have taken place in the Flemish forensic landscape.