ABSTRACT
This chapter will explore some of the mental health needs and issues for black and other minority ethnic (BME)1 people in prison and secure mental health settings and will identify some of the key challenges facing therapists working with BME patients in these contexts. It puts forward the idea that the capacity to be curious and thoughtful about the experience and meaning of race, for both the patient and therapist, is critical to therapeutic effectiveness. Equally important is the ability to think about and work with the tensions, conflicts and issues within the triangular relationship of patient, therapist and forensic system.
