ABSTRACT
The case that I have chosen is neither a spectacular success nor a spectacular failure. This case has not been published or even referred to in any of my published works. It is, in short, just a very ordinary case involving an incarcerated sexual offender, who I will call Pascal. Although this case garnered significant local media coverage at the time of the trial and when Pascal was released from prison, his criminal record is neither extensive nor remarkable. This case is likely similar to many encountered by forensic mental health professionals. Despite being more than ten years old, I recall the case very clearly; in fact, at times my notes seem unnecessary. One journalist managed to acquire at least one of my confidential reports and made my life difficult in the maximum-secure prison where I worked at the time. This was just one in a long sequence of experiences that convinced me to return to an academic setting, at least for a few years. No doubt Pascal’s life in the community where he had settled following his release from custody was complicated as well by the media attention. My file on this case, in more ways than one, has never really been closed. Discussion of this case in the context of this book is an opportunity to reflect on some of these issues.
