After the second edition was published (in 1994), a number of changes have taken place, including changes in the law, advances in treatment, and changes in the management of prisons and special hospitals.

The book remains essential reading for doctors taking the Membership examination of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, but also will be of interest to general psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, lawyers, probation officers and criminologists. The subject is set out clearly, logically and expertly and arranged for quick reference.