The social atmosphere in forensic hospitals and prisons is crucial

to their success – this "manual and more" shows how to assess the

climate and identify ways of improving it.

The social climate in settings such as forensic psychiatric hospitals

and prisons is crucial to their success. The Essen Climate Evaluation

Schema (EssenCES) described here is a short, well-validated questionnaire

that measures three essential facets of an institution's social

atmosphere. An overview of the EssenCES is followed by detailed

advice on how to administer and score it and how to interpret findings,

as well as reference norms from various countries and types of institutions.

The EssenCES "manual and more" is thus a highly useful tool

for researchers, clinicians, and service managers working in forensic

settings.