Education and vocational training in forensic psychiatric hospitals

Many patients treated in forensic psychiatric institutions have major educational deficiencies. The majority of forensic psychiatric patients lack vocational qualifications and close to one in three did not complete school. Education and vocational training are key components in the treatment of forensic patients. In Germany, educational opportunities in forensic psychiatric hospitals and forensic substance dependence facilities are still scarce and cannot meet the tremendous educational and vocational needs of their patients. This situation warrants action. Starting from a systematic educational planning, educational and vocational measures need to be realized for patients with hospital orders. As part of the comprehensive treatment, educational and vocational measures should be tailored in a targeted and individual fashion so that the rehabilitation targets can be reached. Equally important is access to the labour market and subsidized jobs ('the second labour market'). An interdisciplinary working group at the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association (LWL) has drawn up specific recommendations.