Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a theoretical overview of the sociology of crime, deviance, and difference. It argues that the rise, and subsequent fall, of deviance as an academic subject paved the way for the emergence of the mentally disordered offender as an intellectual field of study. The book discusses how the social impact of crimes can impinge on professional practice and cause pressures to respond in different ways, to different offenders, and in different times. It deals with the developing system of forensic services that have resulted from the massive expansion in this sapling discipline. The penetration of psychiatry into the domain of the court and prison has incorporated the criminal ever more under the influence of medicine. The chapter deals with the most significant issue of re-offending. It outlines some recent studies of re-offence and recidivism of mentally disordered offenders.