Introduction In the aftermath of notable criminal incidents, discussions surrounding mental illness and public safety have gained prominence. This study investigates the association between mental illness and crime in Taiwan and explores how mental health resources are associated with crime patterns across space and time. Methods We analysed criminal legal judgements in Taiwan using natural language processing to identify cases involving indications of mental illness based on court records. Geographic Information System techniques and Geographical and Temporal Weighted Regression (GTWR) were used to examine spatiotemporal patterns and associations between mental health resources and crime. Results By examining legal judgements, we estimate that about 0.4% of crimes involve individuals with indications of mental illness, based on what is recorded in court decisions. Spatiotemporal analysis and GTWR showed that areas with higher mental health resources often aligned with higher crime rates for certain offences, such as violent crimes and larceny, reflecting urbanisation and victim support needs. Conversely, a greater density of psychiatry departments and doctors was associated with reductions in crimes involving mental illness. Conclusions Crimes involving individuals with mental illness account for a small fraction of all criminal cases in Taiwan. These findings highlight the potential role of mental health resources in mitigating certain types of crime and contribute to understanding the complex relationship between mental health and public safety.
Lin et al. (Wed,) studied this question.