ABSTRACT
Individuals who are charged and convicted of crimes generally enter the criminal justice system with a disposition involving probation. Contrary to common assumptions, the majority of adjudicated criminal offenders do not receive a custodial prison sentence. In addition, only a very small minority of individuals charged with a criminal offence are detained for any length of time in forensic psychiatric facilities after being found not criminally responsible for their actions, which, of course, means that they are not criminal offenders although they may well be dangerous individuals who require institutional confinement and treatment.
