Which of the following is a security risk associated with forensic patients?

• A. Injury
• B. Escape
• C. Theft
• D. Data breach

Answer: (B)

The primary security concern with forensic patients is the risk of absconding or escaping from custody. Forensic patients are under legal restrictions on their movements, and a breach of those controls directly threatens the facility’s ability to maintain containment, staff safety, and public safety. An escape can trigger rapid security responses, evacuations, searches, and notifications to authorities, and it can have serious consequences for the patient, staff, other patients, and the community. Because containment and control are central to hospital security, escape is the most relevant risk in this context.

Injury represents a safety issue tied to patient agitation or aggression, which is important but distinct from the act of bypassing security controls. Theft could occur in any patient population, not specifically tied to the forensic status that elevates the concern about leaving secured areas. Data breach concerns information security and patient records, not the physical security of keeping someone inside a controlled environment. While those risks are real, they are not the security breach most uniquely associated with forensic patients’ status, where the ability to leave the secure environment is the critical concern.