This paper examines the operation of Part V of the 1959 Mental Health Act during the periods 1962–64 and 1972–74 and looks at the parts played by the courts, the NHS psychiatric and mental handicap hospitals, the Special Hospitals and the prisons in the disposal of Part V mentally abnormal offenders. The possible effects of the proposed regional secure units on facilities for such offenders are discussed and recommendations made as to how the present plight of mentally abnormal offenders can best be alleviated.
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