What drives someone to commit an act of terrible violence? Drawing from her 30 years of providing therapy to people in prisons and hospitals who have committed serious offenses, Gwen Adshead provides fresh and surprising insights into the violent mind. With outcomes ranging from hope to despair, from denial to recovery, these men and women are revealed in all their complexity and shared humanity. In this "heartfelt and nuanced" (Publishers Weekly) series of portraits, Adshead offers a persuasive argument for compassion over condemnation.