Abstract :
Purpose The study considers whether involuntary civil
comment (ICC) statute provisions are associated with
homicide rates. Do statutes based solely upon dangerousness
criteria versus broader ICC-criteria—i.e. ‘‘need for
treatment,’’ ‘‘protection of health and safety,’’ and family
protection–have differential associations related to their
goal of reducing the frequency of homicide?
Method State-level data were obtained from online data
bases and key-informant surveys. Ordinary-least-squares
and Poisson regression were used to evaluate the association
between statute characteristics, mental health system
characteristics, and 2004 Homicide Rates after controlling
for firearm-control-law restrictiveness and social-economicdemographic-
geographic-and-political indicators historically
related to homicide rate variation.
Results Poisson and OLS models, respectively, were significant:
likelihood ratio v2 = 108.47, df = 10; p\0.000
and Adj. R2 = 0.72; df = 10, 25; F = 10.21; p\0.000.
Poisson results indicate that social-economic-demographicgeographic-
and-political-indicators had the strongest association
with state homicide rates (p\0.000). Lower rates
were associated with: broader ICC-criteria (p B 0.01), fewer
inpatient-bed access problems (p B 0.03), and better mental
health system ratings (p B 0.04).
OLS results indicate that social-economic-demographicgeographic-
and-political indicators accounted for 25%
of homicide rate variation. Broader ICC-criteria were
associated with 1.42 less homicides per 100,000. Less
access to psychiatric inpatient-beds and more poorly rated
mental health systems were associated with increases in the
homicide rates of 1.08 and 0.26 per 100,000, respectively.
Conclusions While social-economic-demographic-geographic-
and-political indicators show the strongest association
with homicide rate variation, the results show the
importance and potentially preventive utility of broader
ICC criteria, increased psychiatric inpatient-bed access,
and better performing mental health systems as factors
contributing to homicide rate variation
