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Despite the longstanding public and media fascination with the modern ‘serial killer’, the academic literature is relatively limited. The international field is dominated by individualistic biographical accounts, which offer a highly reductionist and distorted stereotype of the perpetrator, with little opportunity to learn from past cases, or place them within wider socio-cultural contexts. Furthermore, there are a profusion of overlapping and confusing terms, confounded by the FBI's social construction of the ‘serial killer problem’, and perpetuating widespread misleading assumptions. After many years teaching in this area, we are often struck by how these media-driven misconceptions of the serial killer dominate students' knowledge and interest in the topic. This is despite a growing critique of the area in recent years, particularly from within our field of criminology. We seek to debate these issues by exploring some useful cases of serial killing, foregrounding some UK case examples, which are often underexplored. We argue for the need to facilitate scholarly, systematic research to counter the voyeuristic, essentialist narratives within popular media. We also advocate the alternative socio-cultural approach to the study of serial killing, which has emerged in recent years, although been relatively unacknowledged in the international literature to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including criminal justice, forensic mental health workers, and child sexual abuse.

This contribution attempts to explore the use of a variety of literary sources as aids or 'prompts' to understanding those offenders and offender-patients whose mental states often raise considerable anxieties in those charged with their management. The word 'prompt' is borrowed from the work of my friend, the late doctor Murray Cox, and his co-worker Alice Theilgaard in their seminal work Shakespeare as Prompter (1994). The author of the present article hopes that its content will enable readers to focus more clearly on why we sometimes fail our offenders and offender-patients; in particular, through the mechanism of denial. The use of dramatic presentation when proffered with a unique blend of force and sensitivity can permit us to view puzzlement and horror from a safe distance and, at the same time, encourage us to increase our empathic understanding and professional practice. Most of the examples cited are brief allusions but, because her history is so compellingly applicable to our concerns in the present contribution, the 'case' of Lady Macbeth is considered in more detail. Finally, I would note some very wise words by Cox and Theilgaard (1994) in a caveat note to the reader: 'Should the focus on therapy ever become occluded by preoccupation with poetic association, clinical skills would be diminished, distraction ensue and therapeutic contact deteriorate' (not numbered). In the material that follows readers should bear such a cautionary note in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of working for over 50 years in the fields of criminal justice and forensic psychiatry.

The article discusses the Mental Health Act 2007 in relation to Mental Health Act in 1959 and 1983 in the U.S. It is stated that the 1959 Act introduced several important innovations such as the power for magistrates and the introduction of Mental Health Review Tribunals. It also introduced definitions of mental disorder and its sub-categories. Meanwhile, the 1983 Act launched the Mental Health Act Commission with the significant function to examine complaints from detained patients. Both Bills received considerable mauling in the parliamentary process which suggested an analogy akin to that of matrimony. Some forensic aspects of the 2007 Act were also presented. It made many useful amendments to previous legislation.

The report into the care, treatment, and supervision of Michael Stone is commented upon; special attention is paid to questions of anonymity, confidentiality, inter-agency communication, and media conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution is essentially a highly selective, personal and anecdotal account of some 55 years' experience of working in the criminal justice and forensic-psychiatric (mental health) fields. It makes no pretence of being an academic presentation; thus only a modest number of references are cited in the text. The article makes no attempt at being all-inclusive; for this reason it could be criticised for being somewhat idiosyncratic. Those seeking further information concerning some of the examples cited may care to consult the brief personal bibliography at the end of the text and the references. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the withholding of psychotherapy from violent and abusive psychiatric hospital patients in Great Britain's National Health Service. Rhetoric of violence; Man's potential for cruelty and destructiveness; Significant threats of risk of serious injury.

Focuses on the management of severely psychopathically disordered individuals in Great Britain. Need for public protection; Risk of causing harm to other individuals; Increase of crimes.

Dangerous behaviour, for the purpose of this paper is confined to the commission of serious harm to others and not to self. Such behaviour is examined within the context of definnitions of such behaviour, and issues that arise in respect of sentencing (including past and current practices). Certain ethical issues are considered and the paper concludes with a detailed consideration of aspects of management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some characteristics, drawn from a small sample of the series 'Pioneers in Forensic Psychiatry' and from a postal enquiry to thirty-seven UK consultant forensic psychiatrists are described; an attempt is made to provide a limited 'profile'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Replies to Hans Schanda's questions regarding the reluctance of psychiatrists to deal with mentally ill offenders. Open-door policies; Characteristics of consultant forensic psychiatrists; Emergence of degree of obsessionality and lateral thinking.

A response by Herschel Prins to a letter to the editor about his article "Decline of the English inquiry" published in the previous issue is presented.