II. The Psychiatrist's Role in the Special Management Unit

Abstract

This article presents a psychiatrist's clinical work over 20 months in the Oregon Department of Corrections Special Management Unit (SMU) for adult male criminal offenders. Included is a description of the population served, inmates' presenting problems, the evaluation process, final diagnoses, and the disposition and treatment decision process. This article concludes with a selected discussion of the mental disorders encountered, as well as the author's impressions of his prison work from his perspective as a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist.