The number of elderly delinquent individuals living in prisons and forensic hospitals is increasing. For both settings, complex needs have been described for the elderly related to age-related changes and frequent somatic disorders as well as mental disorders, primarily depressive symptoms.. One of the biggest challenges are cognitive impairments which have been described for both groups, probably not least due to frequent risk factors (e.g., substance abuse, depressive symptoms). Given that the group of forensic patients has a manifest mental illness, which is usually treated with psychopharmaceuticals, the question arises as to what extent cognitive deficits are more frequent here. For both groups, the detection of cognitive deficits with regard to therapy and release planning is of relevance. In sum, studies on cognitive function in both populations are rare, and the results are hard to compare due to different instruments to assess cognition.

Sociodemographic, health-, and incarceration-related data were collected as well as neuropsychological functions using established instruments to evaluate global cognitive functioning (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE], DemTect), executive function (Frontal Assessment Battery [FAB], and Trail Making Test [TMT]).

In the final sample, 57 prisoners and 34 forensic inpatients from North Rhine Westphalia, Germany being 60 years and older were included. The groups were comparable in age (prisoners: M = 66.5 years, SD ± 5.3; forensic inpatients: M = 66.8 years, SD ± 7.5) and education (prisoners: M = 11.47, SD ± 2.91; forensic inpatients: M = 11.39, SD ± 3.64), but the offenders in forensic psychiatry had spent significantly more time in the correctional setting than prisoners (prisoners: M = 8.6, SD ± 10.8; forensic inpatients: M = 15.6 years, SD ± 11.9). In both groups cognitive deficits were frequent. Depending on the tests and population, between 42% and 64% showed impairments in global cognition, and between 22% and 70% were classified with impaired executive functioning. We found no significant differences in global cognition or executive functions assessed with the TMT between the two groups. However, forensic inpatients were significantly more impaired in the FAB compared to the prisoners.

The results emphasize the high frequency of cognitive dysfunction in both settings and a possibly higher frequency of “frontal” dysfunction in forensic inpatients, and, thus, indicate the relevance of routine neuropsychological diagnostic and treatment procedures in these settings.

生活在监狱和法医医院的老年犯罪者人数正在增加。对于这两种情况，都描述了与年龄相关的变化和频繁的躯体障碍以及精神障碍（主要是抑郁症状）相关的老年人的复杂需求。尤其是由于频繁的危险因素（例如，药物滥用、抑郁症状）。鉴于这组法医患者有明显的精神疾病，通常用精神药物治疗，问题是这里的认知缺陷在多大程度上更常见。对于这两个群体，检测与治疗和释放计划有关的认知缺陷是相关的。总共，

使用既定工具收集社会人口学、健康和监禁相关数据以及神经心理功能，以评估整体认知功能（迷你精神状态检查 [MMSE]、DemTect）、执行功能（正面评估电池 [FAB] 和 Trail制作测试 [TMT])。

在最终样本中，包括来自德国北莱茵威斯特法伦州的 60 岁及以上的 57 名囚犯和 34 名法医住院病人。这些组在年龄（囚犯：M = 66.5 岁，SD ± 5.3；法医住院患者：M = 66.8 岁，SD ± 7.5）和教育程度（囚犯：M = 11.47，SD ± 2.91；法医住院患者：M = 11.39， SD ± 3.64)，但法医精神病学中的罪犯在教养环境中花费的时间明显多于囚犯（囚犯：M = 8.6，SD ± 10.8；法医住院患者：M = 15.6 年，SD ± 11.9）。在这两个群体中，认知缺陷都很常见。根据测试和人群，42% 至 64% 的人表现出整体认知障碍，22% 至 70% 的人被归类为执行功能受损。我们发现两组之间使用 TMT 评估的全局认知或执行功能没有显着差异。然而，与囚犯相比，法医住院病人在 FAB 中受到的损害明显更大。

结果强调了两种环境中认知功能障碍的高频率以及法医住院患者“额叶”功能障碍的频率可能更高，因此表明常规神经心理学诊断和治疗程序在这些环境中的相关性。