精神疾病犯罪者監護處分時間的決定因子

Correlates with the Custodial Protection Sentence for Criminal Offenders with Mental Illness in Taiwan

研究目的：在台灣，精神疾病犯罪者符合刑法19條第1、2項可減、免刑責。符合上述情形可依刑法87條判監護處分。本研究想了解法院判決精神疾病犯罪者之「監護處分期間長短」的決定因子。研究方法：藉由2006年7月1日至2019年5月1日「司法院法學資料檢索系統」回顧符合條件的公開判決書243件，對「監護處分期間長短」與「是否屬於重大精神疾病、輕型精神疾病或智能不足」及「所犯罪最重本刑的刑期」進行分析。研究結果：精神疾病犯罪者所犯最重本刑為「訂有上限的有期徒刑者」，其「所犯罪最重本刑的刑期」與「監護處分期間長短」達統計顯著相關（皮爾森相關係數r = 0.185, p = 0.019）。再將精神疾病分3組與「監護處分期間長短」進行變異數分析，發現「是否屬於重大精神疾病」等3組的「監護處分期間長短」沒有達統計顯著差異（p = 0.250）。研究結論：精神疾病犯罪者監護處分時間僅與最重本刑有關；唯監護處分應以精神疾病治療為依歸，改善此社會安全議題應增加「精神健康識能」等方式為之。

Purpose: Criminal offenders in Taiwan with a mental illness that meets the requirements for an insanity defense can reduce or eliminate their criminal liability (a criminal sentence of fixed-term imprisonment, life imprisonment or death penalty), and instead be sentenced to custodial protection (involuntary admission to a mental facility for management of mental illness). The goal of this study is to identify factors that may correlate with the length of an individual’s custodial protection sentence. Methods: Through a public judgment inquiry, we obtained the records for 243 court verdicts (from July 1, 2006 to May 1, 2019) for criminal offenders with mental illness. We extracted the data on the correlation among length of custodial protection, severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI), minor mental illness or intellectual disability, and the most severe sentence for the crime committed. Results: Our analysis showed a statistically significant positive correlation between the most severe sentence for the crime committed and the length of custodial protection (r = 0.185; p = 0.019). Next, we divided offenders into 3 groups: those with SPMI, minor mental disorders, and an intellectual disability group. We found no significant difference in the length of custodial protection among these 3 groups (p = 0.250). Conclusions: The study supports the hypothesis that the length of custodial protection correlates with the most severe sentence for the crime committed. However, the length of custodial protection should be first considered according to the different severity level of mental illness, namely whether the criminal offenders with mental illness are suffered from SPMI or not. When the social security issue is taken into account, other methods such as mental health literary should be promoted.