Criminal Justice, Mental Health and the Politics of Risk addresses the important issues which lie at the forefront of decision making and policy in criminal justice and health care. The book brings together several perpectives from a number of distinguished academic lawyers, criminologists, psychologists and psychiatrists. It is multi-disciplinary in its approach and is jointly edited by a lawyer, a criminologist and a psychologist - all of whom have expertise and experience in this field.The book is written in the light of the current emphasis on risk assessment and management as well as the recent government proposals to reform mental health law and detain dangerous and severely personality disordered individuals. It provides a theoretical overview for academics and students in the fields of medical law, mental health law, criminal justice, psychology, sociology, criminology and psychiatry. In addition, the book's highly topical and pragmatic approach will appeal to numerous professionals and practitioners