ABSTRACT
Many countries in Asia are ancient and there is considerable diversity in history, culture, religion, tradition and resources. The way that criminal justice and forensic mental health systems prioritise services and seek to reform and reintegrate people who have broken the law varies. What helps one person desist from crime and reconnect with their community may not work for another and what works in one country may not work for others. This chapter seeks to examine how historical, socioeconomic, legal, cultural and religious contexts can influence the development of criminal justice and forensic mental health responses to those people with a history of criminal behaviour. Importantly, this chapter sets the foundation for the rest of the book to consider these influences in various jurisdictions and how local practices are different. It describes how some countries have adopted Western models in their quest to rehabilitate and reintegrate people who have broken the law and notes how they have been amended to meet the needs of local people.
