ABSTRACT
Women in secure care have complex mental health and social needs. As indicated in the previous two chapters, they tend to report long histories of abuse. They are often emotionally volatile, frequently self-harm and can sometimes be violent to others, and destructive to property. Additionally, women continue to be controlled and sometimes suffer further abuse and assault in systems that fail to provide adequate safety and protection. Secure mental health care for women, around the world, is in need of major revision (World Health Organization WHO 2005a). In order to develop more appropriate services for these women a signi®cant commitment has to be made to detailing and addressing their speci®c needs and issues. It is in this context that mental health services are increasingly recognizing that abuse is a signi®cant factor that must be accounted for in planning new secure, and other, mental health services for women (WHO 2000; British Department of Health DH 2002b).
