"Forensic social work" is defined as "policies, practices, legal issues and remedies, and social work roles with juvenile and adult offenders as well as victims of crimes." A historical overview of social welfare and social work shows its close connection with corrections from the profession's beginnings. The historical overview begins with post-Civil War and recovery and the progressive era (1865-1925), followed by the period of the Great Depression and Social Security, which brought an influx of social workers into public life and government work. Other historic periods of social work examined are civil and welfare rights in the new reform era (1945-1970), retreat from the welfare state and the new federalism (1970-1992), and the decade of the 1990s (1990-1999). The latter period saw the increased involvement of forensic social workers in alternatives to incarceration. Currently, the emergence of specialized courts, such as drug courts and domestic violence courts, has resulted in an increasing number of social workers in the courts. Regarding education/training, Schools of Social Work have developed interdisciplinary programs with law schools, as well as joint degree programs in social work and the law. One of the most promising developments for forensic social work is the recent publication of three comprehensive books that deal with the latest social policies, social services, and social work practice roles with crime victims and offenders. These are "Juvenile Justice Sourcebook: Past, Present and Future" (Roberts, 2004a), which includes chapters by 10 leading forensic social workers; "Oxford's Social Workers Desk Reference" (Roberts and Greene, 2002), with 12 original chapters on forensic social work; and " Substance Abuse Treatment for Criminal Offenders: an Evidence-Based Guide for Practitioners" (Springer, McNeece, and Arnold, 2003). 167 references