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White-collar crime (WCC) causes considerable societal harm, the economic and psychosocial costs of which exceed those of conventional crime. Despite the impact, it has received scant attention from the academic literature in forensic psychiatry. This narrative literature review covers important topics in our understanding of white-collar crime, including offender characteristics such as demographics, criminal history, mental illness, personality and psychopathy, the link with violent offending and the trajectory of the white-collar offender (WCO) through the criminal justice system. White-collar crime is under-researched, particularly with regards to psychopathology, and the field of forensic psychiatry may have important contributions to make to our understanding of this important and harmful type of crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the recent decision of the Scottish Court of Criminal Appeal in the case of a restricted patient convicted of homicide by reason of diminished responsibility in 1967. Mr Reid had initially been detained under a hospital order with restrictions under the legal category of mental deficiency. The appellant was contesting this initial mental health disposal as it had since become clear he did not have a learning disability and was subsequently detained by virtue of a personality disorder diagnosis. It was put to the Court of Appeal that the original disposal was not informed by proper expert opinion, as evidenced by the court reports, and that a criminal justice disposal should be substituted. Reid believed he was more likely to be eventually released into the community from an indeterminate prison sentence than from a restricted hospital order. The court rejected the appeal, finding that the court reports presented at the time of disposal may not have reflected the full assessment of the experts who may also have given further explanation of their views in oral evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article sets out the main provisions of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 of relevance to doctors in the first few years after qualification. It sets out the criteria for compulsory intervention, the main compulsory orders, requirements regarding compulsory treatment and the key safeguards, and gives some practical advice on using the Act. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines several proposals for mental health legislation and for high-risk violent and sexual offenders in Scotland. Assessment and sentencing of offenders; Clinical risk assessment prior to sentencing; Determination of dangerousness; Protection of the rights of mentally disordered patients; Detention in hospital and treatment of the disorder.