Kingdom Central Council [1999] to define FPNs’ roles and responsibilities. As a result of focus group interviews with 66 nurses, the roles of FPNs were defined, like the basic practices of psychiatric nurses, as creating a therapeutic environment, psychiatric assessment and risk assessment, introducing therapeutic initiatives, achieving a balance between care and observation, and communication. Timmon emphasized that more studies should be conducted on the information, skills and attitudes needed to clarify the roles of FPNs.[22] In a qualitative study conducted in Turkey, nurses in forensic psychiatry clinics said that patients may experience transference because of staying in the clinics for longer times, that nurses want to keep more distance due to the crimes and actions of the patients, that they feel fear in acute stage of the disease because of the different nature of forensic psychiatric patients, and that they feel more secure working with chronic long-term patients.[6] A review study by Kutlu et al. determined that the roles of FPNs were not clear and thus, difficulties were experienced and nurses continued their functions in the areas of therapy vs. confidence, dangerousness and violence management.[7] Tenkanen et al. conducted a study to determine the relationship between the basic initiatives and competences of forensic psychiatric unit nurses with bachelor’s degrees and those with associate’s degrees, and found significant differences between groups in pharmacotherapy, knowledge about violence, violence management, being aware of their own and patients’ feelings, and patient-specific treatment. They emphasized that university graduate nurses should be placed in forensic psychiatric units and according to clinical practice guidelines, nurses in this field should be educated in forensic psychiatry and basic initiatives in this field.[4] Ewalds-Kvist et al. conducted a study in Sweden to examine nurses’ self-sufficiency. Nurses in forensic units or general psychiatry clinics, and community mental health nurses participated. They determined that FPNs were more competent than the other nurses in violence and conflict management, security and quality care.[23] Doyle and Jones conducted a study to determine the roles and responsibilities of FPNs examining the conceptual framework of Hodge’s Health Career Model. They found that this is a model that guides FPNs in practice, leads the way in assessing patients, in meeting physical, mental and social needs and for medical, social and legal areas and that can make a contribution in establishing standards for FPNs’ practices.[5] Koskinen et al. conducted a study to determine the effect of a one-year education program provided to FPNs on their professional competence. The participants were 19 FPNs and 15 head nurses working in forensic psychiatric hospitals in Finland. The researchers found that, after a one-year education program, FPNs felt more competent in patient care, observation, providing help and teaching. The increase in the competence of the head nurses was not found to be as high as clinical nurses had. The nurses stated that, despite the education, they did not feel competent in providing care to the families of patients or in research.[15] DİKEÇ G et al., Forensic Psychiatric Nursing 163 Newman et al. conducted a qualitative study of the roles and job definitions of nurses in forensic hospitals in Australia. A text was prepared in consensus with head and experienced nurses. This text specified the roles and job definitions of FPNs as: using general psychiatric skills, conducting daily assessments of the mental and physical health of patients, providing therapeutic rehabilitation, establishing a therapeutic relationship, providing security for patients and their relatives, preventing violence and aggression, performing and managing risk assessment, assessing alcohol and substance abuse, preparing and applying appropriate care plans with a multidisciplinary team after receiving patient histories, administering treatment, managing emergencies, monitoring patients’ legal proceedings, guiding newly-graduated and student nurses and supporting them.[24] Discussion Guilty people experience anxiety and tension because of stigmatization and labeling in the community. This causes frustration, which can lead to sudden outbursts of anger and aggressive behavior against themselves or their environment. When FPNs face the risk of violence or violent behavior, they should encourage people, without judging, by supporting them and giving them an opportunity expressing their feelings.[1] Many studies identify the management and assessment of violence in forensic units and developing a reliable therapeutic environment as responsibilities of FPNs. Published studies have indicated that the knowledge and skills FPNs need are similar to those of psychiatric nurses. [12,22] Developing a reliable therapeutic environment, therapeutic communication, management of violence and aggression, identification of risk, pharmacotherapy and observation are among these skills. While FPNs engage in violence management, risk assessment and drug therapy to overcome problems in the clinic, psychiatric nurses mostly establish therapeutic communication to overcome problems that they specify in practice, and they state that communication is a priority of clinical nursing