Special women, special needs: A descriptive study of female special hospital patients

Functional consistency across two behavioural modalities: fire‐setting and self‐harm in female special hospital patients

“…In such circumstances, it has been found that women particularly target their breasts and genitals (Bland et al, 1999).…”

Gendered experiences of physical restraint on locked wards for women

“…It is further claimed that because of this, women are subjected to greater measures of security than they might need . Despite this recommendation, some researchers have demonstrated that women are detained within higher levels of physical security for less severe crimes than men, and certainly higher than is justified (Bland, Mezey, and Dolan 1999). It could be further argued that locked wards, like the rest of society, rely on a hegemonic (non-disabled) imaginary as the foundational principle of service delivery.…”

Do women need special secure services?

“…The large number of men with personality disorders in prison (Fryers et al, 1998) lends support to this argument. The relative absence of serious convictions among women in high secure care also points to women being considered differently (Bland et al, 1999).…”

“…As elsewhere in psychiatry, many clinicians would suggest that a 'gender-blind' diagnostic approach is both useful and used. However, commentators have argued that the significance of the psychopathic disorder label applied to women is that it constitutes the medicalisation of antisocial behaviour that in men would be criminalised (Special Hospitals Service Authority, 1995;Hemingway, 1996;Bland et al, 1999;Lart et al, 1999;Women in Secure Hospitals, 1999). The large number of men with personality disorders in prison (Fryers et al, 1998) lends support to this argument.…”