The Royal College of Nursing recently published a book in their research series entitled Nursing in Behavioural Psychotherapy (Marks et al., 1977) which reviewed developments in the field. Operational research into nurse-therapy began in 1972 at the Maudsley Hospital. Out of this a national course was formalized in 1975 by the Joint Board of Clinical Nursing Studies for England and Wales (Course No. 650). Although the formal course lasts 18 months, it is now possible to shorten the training period to one year, followed by six months of lightly supervised practice working in settings away from the training centre. Currently there are two recognized training centres, at the Bethlem/Maudsley and Graylingwell Hospitals, and moves are afoot to start a third programme elsewhere.

It is a century since the Prison Act placed a statutory obligation on the Prison Commissioners to present an annual report to the Secretary of State and Parliament; in recent years numerical facts relating to the prison population have been published in a separate volume of Statistical Tables. Together these volumes provide an account of the administration of the penal system during the previous year. To those who are familiar with bureaucratic reticence in these matters the reports provide welcome information: for others who work in the prison service, normally constrained by the Offical Secrets Acts (1911 and 1920), the reports act as a valuable mouthpiece.