ABSTRACT
The clinical arm of the Institute for the Scientific Treatment of Delinquency (ISTD) was called the Psychopathic Clinic, which was renamed the Portman Clinic in 1937. The Institute was housed under one roof for the first time in May 1937. In 1948, with the National Health Service Act, there was a division of the old ISTD: the Portman Clinic became part of the NHS, concentrating on the treatment of offenders. The chapter provides a history and development since it was a most accomplished course and was responsible for the training of distinguished and dedicated clinicians of all professions who are also presently the pillars of the International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy (IAFP). The IAFP itself had an interesting gestation. The story began at a meeting in Oxford in 1980, which was sponsored by two organizations: Law and Psychiatry and the charity Mind.
