The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to increased psychological distress and far-reaching restrictions of freedom. In March 2020, Austrian penal authorities enacted various safety and protection measures to mitigate the propagation of COVID-19. While infection rates in penal institutions were low, restrictive conditions of detention limited the forensic care of offenders. This retrospective longitudinal observational study aimed to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on the psychosocial rehabilitation in forensic psychiatry.

Administrative and clinical data obtained from 97 males treated at an inpatient forensic mental health institution were compared before (January 2019 – mid-March 2020) and after (mid-March 2020 – May 2021) the enactment of pandemic-related restrictive measures. The study outcomes related to rehabilitative activities, social contacts, psychopathological stability, and compliance with institutional regulations.

During the pandemic, a decrease in individual one-day temporary releases (64 vs. 3, p < .001) and one-day group excursions (103 vs. 10, p < .001) was observed. Likewise, visits by relatives (1440 vs. 429, p < .001) and legal guardians (286 vs. 130, p = .009) decreased. Regarding compliance with institutional regulations, illegal activities decreased from 27 to 8 after enactment of restrictive measures (p = .024). In contrast, long-term temporary releases (122 vs. 188 weeks, p = .131) and admissions to the acute ward (141 vs. 143, p = .712) remained unchanged. Overall, this study demonstrates the substantial impact of COVID-19 on the psychosocial care of forensic psychiatric patients and implies the necessity for guidelines to uphold an appropriate standard of forensic rehabilitation during future pandemics.

2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 大流行导致心理压力加剧，自由受到广泛限制。2020 年 3 月，奥地利刑事当局颁布了各种安全和保护措施，以减轻 COVID-19 的传播。虽然刑罚机构的感染率很低，但限制性的拘留条件限制了对罪犯的法医护理。这项回顾性纵向观察研究旨在评估大流行对法医精神病学社会心理康复的影响。

比较了在实施与大流行相关的限制措施之前（2019 年 1 月至 2020 年 3 月中旬）和之后（2020 年 3 月中旬至 2021 年 5 月）从在住院法医精神卫生机构接受治疗的 97 名男性获得的行政和临床数据。研究结果与康复活动、社会交往、精神病理学稳定性和遵守机构规定有关。

在大流行期间，观察到个人一日临时释放（64 对 3，p  <.001）和一日团体游览（103 对 10，p <.001）有所减少。同样，亲属（1440 对 429，p < .001）和法定监护人（286 对 130，p  = .009）的探视也有所减少。在遵守制度规定方面，实施限制措施后，非法活动从 27 起减少到 8 起 ( p  = .024)。相比之下，长期临时释放（122 对 188 周，p  = .131）和入住急症病房（141 对 143，p = .712) 保持不变。总的来说，这项研究证明了 COVID-19 对法医精神病患者的心理社会护理的重大影响，并暗示有必要制定指导方针，以在未来的大流行期间维持适当的法医康复标准。