Issues in the management and rehabilitation of patients in maximum secure hospitals

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Institutional treatment for mentally disordered offenders will continue for the foreseeable future. Considerable practical and theoretical advances in psychiatry, psychology and allied clinical disciplines have been made since the spate of asylum building which took place in the early nineteenth century. It is now possible to understand more fully the reasons why ‘moral’ regimes were superior to harsh regimes, particularly in preventing antisocial behaviour This article suggests that most of the principles relevant to the design of maximum secure hospitals and the management of their patients can be derived from three sources: an analysis of the characteristics of mentally disordered offenders; the relevant psychological, psychiatric and sociological literature; and recent unique experience gained in commissioning a new maximum secure hospital over a period of 10 years