[Symposium 61] Ethnic diversity, psychiatric conditions, and transgressive behavior: Insights from cases in forensic mental health care

[SY-61] Ethnic diversity, psychiatric conditions, and transgressive behavior: Insights from cases in forensic mental health care

Charlotte Clous², Marjolein De Pau¹, Morten Deleuran Terkildsen^3,4,5, Ilaria Rossetto⁶ (1.Department of Special Needs Education, Ghent University(Belgium), 2.Centre for Transcultural Psychiatry Veldzicht(Netherlands), 3.Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Aarhus University(Denmark), 4.Institute of Clinical Medicine, Health, Aarhus University(Denmark), 5.DEFACTUM - Public Health Research(Denmark), 6.University of Milan, School of Medicine(Italy))

Keywords:

forensic mental health,ethnicity,culture

Forensic mental health care operates at the intersection of psychiatry and the criminal justice system, providing treatment for individuals whose mental health conditions have contributed to transgressive behavior. Ethnically diverse clients often face distinct challenges in (forensic) mental health care settings, where cultural differences, language barriers, and systemic biases can shape their experiences of care. While these settings can be sites of hope and recovery, they can also become sites of exclusion and despair where professionals struggle to navigate cultural complexity. This symposium explores the diverse experiences of both forensic clients and professionals in four European cases, analyzing how cultural identity, migration, and institutional practices influence pathways of forensic care and recovery. First, a retrospective study in an Italian forensic unit introduces us into differences in forensic pathways, legal status, and clinical outcomes between migrant and Italian national patients. Second, through a case-study from Belgium we illustrate how intersectional identity shapes experiences of mental health, transgressive behavior and forensic care. For the third presentation, we delve into cultural identity and recovery in the face of mandatory repatriation in a Dutch transcultural forensic clinic. Finally, we explore how culture and care are intertwined in practice in a Greenlandic forensic ward in Denmark. These cases clarify that understanding dynamics of culture and identification is crucial in forensic mental health care, as they are inherent to lived experiences of crime, mental illness and the provision of good care. They also reveal how discursive practices of difference have tangible effects on individuals’ trajectories of recovery and desistance from transgressive behavior. The cases underscore the need for (forensic) mental health systems to adopt inclusive, strengths-based and culturally-sensitive approaches that recognize the diverse needs of clients. Through this discussion, we aim to promote greater dialogue between forensic mental health and the broader psychiatric field.