People with personality disorder who offend tend to be neglected by health services in most countries. In the UK, there has been renewed interest in the field since government initiatives in the end of the 1990s. Government proposals themselves are controversial, but there is growing recognition that it is unsafe, both for the general public and fo

Chris Newrith MB ChB, MSc, MRCPsych, Consultant Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy, Birmingham Personality Disorder Service, Birmingham, UK

Clive Meux MB BS, MRCPsych, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, Oxford Clinic Medium Secure Unit, Littlemore, UK

Pamela J Taylor MB BS, MRCP, FRCPsych, FMedSci, Professor of Forensic Psychiatry, Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, UK