ABSTRACT
To achieve a recognised professional status forensic psychiatry must fulfil the requirements of the medical undertaking. That is, it must be seen to have the skill and knowledge to complete the process in which successful treatments are applied with the corollary of reduced recidivism. The chapter focuses more generally on the societal response to recidivism by mentally disordered offenders as this tends to have the greater impact on professional development and service delivery than any other single factor. The main objective of high security psychiatric services was said to be the reintegration of patients back into the community in which they were indistinguishable from other members of society there was little as to the public's view of re-offence and recidivism. Psychiatry's project is to take a mentally disordered offender, apply some form of intervention and return them to the community from whence they came.
