Designed to cure: the clinician-led development of England's regional secure units

The influence of ideas central to contemporary forensic psychiatry on the d esign of England's regional secure units, as well as some other influences on the final designs, ape described. While the design processes were, for t he most part, successful, some elements of the design-thinking may have bee n overwrought, involving some degree of 'magical thinking' in which the sym bolization of desired professional outcomes is confused with the direct cau sation of these outcomes. While this had little effect on the overall effic acy of the designs, it seems to have led to certain security features being inadequately designed.