[Current standing of forensic psychotherapy in Germany]

Although treatment of inmates already has got a long tradition in Germany, forensic psychotherapy is - especially outside the so-called German "Massregelvollzug" - only at its beginnings, and consistent theories about delinquency and treatment programmes have not yet been established. While international studies show high prevalence of mental disorders in prisons (up to 60 - 70 %), in Germany even basic epidemiological data about the prevalence of mental disorders among inmates is still missing. Thus, the need for psychotherapy can only be roughly estimated. Ethical implications regarding the self-image, an ambivalent assignment for treatment (given by society) and a recent tightening of German law create a difficult framework for forensic psychotherapy, complicating the establishment as well as the evaluation of new treatment programmes, especially since many people still doubt the efficiency of forensic psychotherapy for delinquents despite convincing counter-evidence. It seems obvious that in Germany much research has to be done in the fields of epidemiology as well as in forensic psychotherapy in order to gain basic data and to be then able to provide effective psychotherapeutic treatment facilities aiming at the needs of mentally disturbed offenders.