Nathaniel Pallone argues that, whatever else is true of psycho-pathology, it serves purposes which are socially useful. What-ever else is true of its clinical treatment, such treatment func-tions as a form of social regula-tion. In societal terms, such treat-ment may serve purposes quite other than the relief of psycho-logical disease or even the remedy of psychological disorder. If psychopathology had not emerged naturally, society might have needed to engender psychopathogenic conditions both to fulfill so-cially useful purposes and to elicit that subtle mechanism for social regulation...

What do we know about the mental health of inmates? What are the implications of what we know? Nathaniel J. Pallone characterizes opinion on these questions as falling into two broad camps: the "tender-hearted," those who see an overlap between mental illness and criminal behaviour, and are treatment-oriented; and the "tough-minded," those who have little confidence in psychiatric categories, do not really accept arguments about diminished responsibility, and who feel the emphasis should be on punishment. Which is closer to the truth?

When this book was first published, the incidence...

More than half the states in the United States have legislation on sex offenders that distinguishes between those whose offense is incidental to other offenses (-felony- sexual offenders) and those who engage in -repetitive, habitual, or compulsive- sex offenses (-criminal sexual psychopaths-). The legislation specifies that criminal sexual psychopaths must be treated, not punished. But treatment is problematic; the literature on various approaches finds uncertainty about the effectiveness of treatment.

Nathaniel J. Pallone asks whether there is a right to effective treatment and...