The Sociology of the Mentally Disordered Offender

by Mason; Tom

• ISBN13: 9780582317413
• ISBN10: 058231741X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1999-06-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

In recent years mentally disordered offenders have attracted considerable attention in the media and there has been heated public debate as to the best treatment and prevention of re-offending. Simultaneously there has been a significant increase in the amount of research, specialist courses and training devoted to this particular, high profile area of mental health care. This is as a result of considerable public pressure to develop effective theory and practice for diagnosing and treating this patient group. A Sociology of the Mentally Disordered Offender provides a concise, and most importantly, accessible guide to the main theoretical issues from a sociological perspective as a counterbalance to the predominant medical model. Having established a theoretical framework through the exploration of topics such as the relationship between crime and mental disorder the authors look at the processes by which offenders are referred either to criminal justice or the mental health service system, their subsequent treatment and management, and the problem of re-offending. A final chapter looks at ways in which care and management of these patients may be effectively developed in the future.

Author Biography

Dr. Tom Mason is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nursing, University of Liverpool.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction	p. 1
Theoretical overview	p. 13
The relationship between criminal behaviour and mental disorder	p. 46
The social construction of the dangerous offender	p. 67
Systems of services and structures of power	p. 88
Service development: capture, contagion and community	p. 107
Treatment and management from a social perspective	p. 122
Re-offence and recidivism	p. 150
Conclusions: contemporary picture and future problems	p. 167
References	p. 175
Index	p. 193
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