This new edition provides readers with a fresh, updated guide to the latest developments in the social context, management, and treatment of offenders in mental health care.
This revised and updated edition of Care of the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community provides a comprehensive, evidence-based guide to theory and practice. The social and clinical context within which mental health care is provided to offenders in community settings has changed significantly in recent years. An increasing proportion of all mental health care is provided in the community and our knowledge of the links between violence and mental illness has advanced. Existing psychological and pharmacological treatments have been refined and new treatments have been introduced. Epidemiological and intervention-based research has evaluated these changes and suggested new avenues for clinical development. Over three sections, the second edition of Care of the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community explores the key areas of the field. Part 1 describes the social, administrative and clinical context within which care is now given. Part 2 discusses treatment and the evaluation of violence risk when determining the most appropriate treatment. Part 3 explores psychiatric services and their relationship with other agencies. The text has been updated to cover recent developments in theory and practice. New chapters have been added that cover US provision for people with mental disorders leaving prison, the community management of sexual offenders, the relationship between care and coercion and the treatment of personality disorders. Written by a global team of experts, the book provides critical insights into the social, clinical, and institutional aspects of an increasingly important part of psychiatric community care.
Buchanan's book is a multidiscplinary text on the care and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in the community. I found it refreshing and a pleasure to read. It has no inhibitions and does not dwell on role conflicts in working with mentally disordered offenders . . . He and his contributors beautifully differentiate between the subtleties of the theoretical and practical components of addressing mental health problems and criminogenic need within a risk assessment framework incorporating the wider social context. This book, therefore, offers a cogent framework for practice. I strongly recommend it to all forensic community nurses and those working in low-secure settings as it offers a wealth of guidance. It sets the standard in the care and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in community settings in the UK and has the makings of a classic text.
