Section 2 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997: impact on forensic services

In order to assess the impact of s.2 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 a survey of 40 medium secure unit patients was undertaken. Five patients were already serving a life sentence. Of the remaining 35 there were 4 (11%) who would have received an automatic life sentence if the Act had been in place since 1983 and 17 (48.5%) who would automatically receive a life sentence if they committed a further qualifying offence. The implications of these findings for mentally disordered offenders and psychiatric services are discussed.