I preface this book with a number of explanations. First, why a fifth edition in
view of the fact that longer intervals have elapsed between the publication of some
of the earlier volumes? The answer is simple, and I hope acceptable. The pace of
change in criminal justice and forensic mental health (or ill health as I prefer to
describe it) has been increasingly rapid – as is the accumulation of new research
and other data. We have seen amending legislation on extended sentences for public
protection – sexual offences, changes in mental health law and proposals for
reform of the law in relation to homicide being just a few examples. Some of these
could only be adumbrated in the fourth edition. This edition will examine, where
possible, some of the effects of these changes. A number of them have occurred as
a result of somewhat premature implementation – an unseemly rush to legislate;
this phenomenon will be mentioned in this fifth edition. Second, why insert a
subtitle? With the exception of the first edition, few of the previous editions carried
one, so why now? I have decided that this fifth edition should continue my
own personal explorations in the field of clinical criminology, this term being an
accepted one for the various matters discussed in the following pages. My new
subtitle is An introduction to clinical criminology.