This is a comprehensive summary and critical examination of the relationship of mental illness in general, and individual psychiatric disorders in particular with criminal, violent, and other forms of antisocial behaviour. The text critically examines what is known about the treatment and social implications of this body of research, including its practical applications within the criminal justice system.

The book is also an archive of existing research studies in this area, and presents original research that to date has not been published. It combines the clinical with the theoretical, and policy with practice. It integrates biological, psychological, social, and legal viewpoints, and is framed within an overarching understanding of the intersection between human behaviour and law.