Defense Ruud van der Horst on November 7, 2011

On November 7, 2011, at 14.30 hours,in the Academy Building in Groningen, Ruud van der Horst (ICS year group 2005) will defend his dissertation Network effects on treatment results in a closed forensic psychiatric setting.

What can we learn about the criminal risk behavior of a forensic psychiatric patient by studying how he interacts with other imprisoned patients? The research presented in the dissertation investigates the social relationships of forensic patients subjected to the Dutch ‘terbeschikkingstelling’ measure (TBS). It analyzes the forensic patient’s social networks in relation to both personality disorder symptomatology and risk-related behavior. Social network analysis provides evidence for the relational nature of personality disorders and risk behavior as a result of psychopathology. Because the risk behavior considered here contains criminogenic factors, the study provides initial insights into associations between actual interaction patterns and the forensic patient’s likelihood to reoffend.

Ruud van der Horst studied Sociology at the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands. He conducted the research presented in this book at the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS) of the University of Groningen. Currently he is conducting research into the TBS measure as a researcher at the Scientific Research and Documentation Center of the Ministry of Security and Justice (WODC).

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