Abstract
In their editorial recently published in Medicine, Science and the Law, Crole-Rees et al., highlight the high rates of lifetime trauma experienced by people within criminal justice systems, and the negative consequences of this trauma for individuals and society. The authors point to the limited evidence base regarding the efficacy and safety of trauma-focused therapy in criminal justice settings. They note that while some favourable case reports and pilot studies exist about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in prisons and forensic services, that "to date" no such randomised control trials of EMDR have been conducted. We write to correct this and to describe our randomised control trial which was published online in early 2024. This trial investigated the efficacy and risks of EMDR for people with PTSD and psychotic disorders who were in prison or who had been diverted from custody into forensic mental health care.