CBMH themed edition on parole

Abstract

First paragraph: We were delighted to be invited to edit this special issue of Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health. We have both long had a professional interest in the difficult area of release from prison—how law and practice so often seem uncomfortably misaligned, and how the practical problems facing released prisoners illustrate how service provision falls so far short of what appears so obviously necessary. Over recent years, there has been a very welcome growth in academic research in the area, from criminological, psychological and legal perspectives and with both a ‘domestic’ and comparative focus. But it remains true that some of the many challenges connected with the period of release, the transition from prison to the community, have remained unexplored and there has been a dearth of research exploring prisoners' experiences of the parole process itself. No area is more important than mental health. The high number of prisoners with mental health needs is well documented