ABSTRACT
In most countries, forensic psychiatry has its origins in providing psychiatric reports for the courts. The extent to which offenders are treated within specialist forensic mental health services, generic mental health services or in the criminal justice system settings varies between them. Within Europe, forensic psychiatry is formally recognized as a specialty only in the UK, Ireland, Sweden and Germany, but most countries in the old European Union, and some in the new, provide specialist training, albeit to a varying degree in terms of range of topics and time allocated. Japan enacted law to enable the genesis of forensic mental health services as 2003, whereas the other countries have a longer forensic mental health service history. Forensic clinicians who give evidence in court, provide services or assist in parole decisions may themselves become objects of public controversy. Forensic psychiatry developed in the context of evolving medical and psychological sciences, health and mental health services and, of course, the law.
