Reviews : Materials on the Criminal Justice Act 1991 Andrew Ashworth and others (Eds) Waterside Press, 1992; pp266; £12 pbk
| Author | Graham Nicholls |
| Published date | 01 March 1993 |
| Date | 01 March 1993 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/026455059304000114 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
This book of essays has been
cent, community facilities but, as this
thoughtfully and carefully prepared
book points out ’It is often forgotten
and
I do believe that it will make some
that at their best mental hospitals pro-
contribution to the debates of the next
vided nutritious but institutional food,
.
few years. Sadly however, some oppor-
good personal care... excellent profes-
tunities have been misused, Overburden-
sional health care ... providing the
ed as it is, with angst ridden senior
function of ’sanctuary’ in an Otherwise
managers seeking to exorcise their
hostile world ... kept patients oc-
demons, too many practitioners will
cupied and provided leisure activities
read it and find that it impinges on
making sure they were not isolat~d~.
them barely at all. Contributions from
This is not a polemical book, but
practitioners would have been
it comes to the conclusion that the pro-
welcome, and their absence is itself an
cess of dismantling mental hospitals
example of the problem that Fellowes
has
proceeded at such a pace that pro-
and Shaw are trying to identify. I also
per consideration of what is needed for
missed some of the old stalwarts. No
the mentally ill has not kept up with
Harding, no Lacey, no Gordon Read. I
the change. It is melancholy (for those
hope this doesn’t mean that the old
that believe there is a valuable role for
troupers are beginning to forget their
places of asylum) to realise that we
lines. Some of them had quite good
have gone so far along the road to
ones. One
final word. If you are going
decarceration that the process cannot
to read this book make sure that you
be reversed.
do it in work time. I read it on a rainy
I found this a grim book, full of
Saturday afternoon. It was a mistake.
facts that lead to the unpleasant con-
clusion that the mentally ill have not
David Millard
been well served by recent changes. It
SPO, Birmingham
deserves to be read.
Owen Wells
Discharged from Mental
Probation Officer,...
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