Background General psychiatric and forensic psychiatric beds, supported housing and the
prison population have been suggested as indicators of institutionalized mental health care.
According to the Penrose hypothesis, decreasing psychiatric bed numbers may lead to
increasing prison populations. The study aimed to assess indicators of institutionalized
mental health care in post-communist countries during the two decades following the
political change, and to explore whether the data are consistent with the Penrose hypothesis …

Background: General psychiatric and forensic psychiatric beds, supported housing and the
prison population have been suggested as indicators of institutionalized mental health care.
According to the Penrose hypothesis, decreasing psychiatric bed numbers may lead to
increasing prison populations. The study aimed to assess indicators of institutionalized
mental health care in post-communist countries during the two decades following the
political change, and to explore whether the data are consistent with the Penrose hypothesis …