Cover -- CONTENTS -- Foreword -- Preface -- 1 The Scale and Nature of the Problem -- I. MURDER HOW OFTEN DOES IT HAPPEN? -- WHO ARE THE MURDERERS? -- HOMICIDE IN AMERICA -- 11. LIFE IMPRISONMENT IN THE UK -- NUMBERS AND PLACES -- PROFILE OF THE LIFER POPULATION -- 'MYRA SYNDROME' -- STRUCTURE OF A LIFE SENTENCE -- THE VICTIM'S CHARTER -- INDIVIDUAL CASES -- TWO STRIKES AND YOU'RE IN -- 2 The Psychology of the Murderer -- I. THEORIES OF VIOLENCE AND MURDER -- Biological determinants -- Socio-cultural determinants -- Psychological determinants -- Situational determinants of violence. -- Psychiatric determinants -- Political motivation -- 11. WHAT THE MURDERERS SAY -- SIX CASE STUDIES -- Ill. HOW TO KNOW AND HOW TO HELP -- STRATEGIES FOR HELPING MURDERERS AND OTHER LIFERS TO CHANGE -- THREE Delusions of Innocence -- I. LIFERS, INNOCENCE AND HM PRISON SERVICE: THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM -- II. MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE CASES -- Ill. PRISON AND INNOCENCE: PROTESTS AND THE OFFICIAL SIDE -- IV. THE SEX OFFENDER TREATMENT PROGRAMME AND THE PROBLEMS OF INNOCENCE -- V. 'FALSE NEGATIVES' -- 4 Containment and Treatment -- I. CONTAINMENT -- Physical controls -- Psychological controls -- Loss of control -- Lifers as a stabilising influence. -- II. STAFF COMPETENCIES: SKILLS REQUIRED TO WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH LIFERS -- Ill. TREATMENT -- How the Prison Service 'manages' lifers -- The Lifer Manual -- THE ROLE OF PROBATION -- PRISON SERVICE COURSES -- SOTP -- Cognitive Behavioural Programmes -- MENTALLY DISORDERED OFFENDERS -- HOW LIFERS (AND THE STAFF WHO WORK WITH THEM) MANAGE PRISON -- 5 Discretionary Lifer Panels -- I. INTRODUCTION -- THE DISCRETIONARY LIFE SENTENCE -- CHANGES IN CULTURE -- II. LEGAL BACKGROUND TO THE CHANGES -- Ill. THE CHANGES -- IV. HOW DLPs WORK -- V. 'SECTION 2 DISCRETIONARY LIFERS' -- VI. CONCLUSIONS -- 6 Lifer Risk Assessment.

I. WHAT IS RISK ASSESSMENT? (BRIEFLY) -- II. THE NEED FOR RISK ASSESSMENT -- Ill. HOW IS RISK ASSESSMENT DONE? -- IV. THE ASSESSMENT OF RISK IN LIFE SENTENCE PRISONERS AS PRACTISED IN ENGLAND AND WALES -- V. MAJOR CRITICISMS AND WAYS FORWARD -- IV. CONCLUSIONS -- 7 Beyond Criminal Justice -- I. THE ETHICS OF LIFE IMPRISONMENT -- II. DO LIFERS HAVE HUMAN RIGHTS? -- Ill. THE NATURE OF EVIL -- IV. NATURAL LIFE -- V. CONCLUSION -- 8 Proposals -- I. CONTAINMENT -- II. TREATMENT -- Ill. PUBLIC SAFETY -- Appendix A: Alex's Story. Secret Justice. An Extreme Illustration of Why Discretionary Lifer Panels Were Needed -- Appendix B The Parole Board Rules 1997 -- Appendix C: Comparisons Between the Mandatory and Discretionary Life Sentence Systems -- Bibliography -- Subject Index -- Back cover.