Review of Clinical Assessment before Trial.

Reviews the book, Clinical Assessment before Trial by C. D. Webster, R. J. Menzies, and M. A. Jackson (1982). The stated scope and purpose of this text are most ambitious. Webster, Menzies, and Jackson propose to answer seven or eight major questions for three specific purposes. They hope to encourage a compassionate interest in the mentally disordered offender, provide an academic study of the actions of clinicians, and give a sociological perspective on the interconnection of medicine and law. They have obviously given considerable thought of how the format of the book might assist in accomplishing their goals. They offer chapters addressed to the questions they ask and provide a walk-through of the issues using two hypothetical cases as examples. It is worth pointing out that the authors provide excellent references to Canadian forensic agencies and some corresponding data about these services. The bibliography is also very useful for Canadian students (and practitioners) who wish access to more detailed material than the text is able to provide. On the whole, the reader is provided with a reasonable academic introduction to clinical assessment before trial. The book fails to the extent that the authors appear to have gambled about how to use the space provided. In the end, the book has a resulting weakness. The main section does not have the space needed to become a major text. And yet the one-third of the book that is Appendices could just as well have been published in a regular journal. Better judgment would have provided the authors with more room to address the many important points dealt with in the main section fully. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)