International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology最新文献

The field of forensic mental healthcare is unique in several ways. Forensic vigilance is a specialty needed by forensic mental health professionals, consisting of professional forensic psychiatric knowledge, knowledge of individual patients, environmental observations, and clinical judgment. Though communication seems to play an important role in forensic vigilance, it is still unknown which communication styles are related to forensic vigilance, if any. In the current study, we examined if certain communication styles are related to forensic vigilance by means of an online survey among forensic mental health professionals. In total 138 Dutch forensic psychiatric professionals participated in the survey. The expressive and precise communication styles positively predict forensic vigilance, while the emotional and manipulative communication styles show a negative relationship with forensic vigilance. Findings of the present study further the understanding of the construct of forensic vigilance. The findings presented here may give rise to attention for specific manners of communication in supervision and training programs. The current study represents the first effort to study the relationship between communication styles and forensic vigilance.

Forensic case formulation (FCF) is a key activity within the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway (OPDP), performed by OPDP specialist offender managers (OMs) and psychologists. Although FCF training is provided to OMs, there are a number of questions about the adequacy and effectiveness of this training. Furthermore, it is unclear whether psychologists receive sufficient support to keep their FCF skills relevant and effective over time. This study aimed to investigate the FCF training experiences of OPDP staff, to assess staff satisfaction with this training, to identify ways of improving this training, and to explore the value of FCF from a staff perspective. To meet these aims, OPDP staff were asked to complete an online Qualtrics survey disseminated nationally. Results reveal a lack of standardized FCF training across the OPDP, contributing to poor staff satisfaction and confidence. These results highlight a need for FCF training improvement within the OPDP.

In Canada and internationally the number of older offenders on parole and living in the community is increasing rapidly. Older offenders in the community are a vulnerable population at high risk for lack of well-being. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with N = 64 offenders aged 50 years and older on conditional release from custody in Canada, including long-term, recidivist, and first-time older offenders. Compared to their non-offender counterparts, older offenders in the community experience many of the same problems of aging and well-being, but are at greater risk for mental health problems, traumatic injuries, and for recidivists, substance abuse. Most long-term and first-time older offenders find themselves living at or below the poverty line. One third of older offenders experience social isolation from community and family due to their criminal history and incarceration. For those with Indigenous ancestry, Indigenous communities, and cultural organizations play a significant role in supporting older offenders.

Group climate in residential youth care is considered to be essential for treatment of youth and young adults. Various instruments exist to measure quality of living group climate, but some are lengthy, use complicated wording, which make them difficult to fill out by youth and individuals with a mild intellectual disability. The present study describes the development and rationale for the Group Climate Instrument-Revised (GCI-R). Construct validity and reliability of the GCI-R were examined by means of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in a two-step validation process using a construction sample (n = 190 youth, representing 41 groups) and a validation sample (n = 207 youth, representing 42 groups). Results indicated a good fit of a five-factor model (Support, Growth, Physical Environment, Peer interactions, and Repression). Reliability of the scales was good. These findings indicate that the GCI-R can be used as a parsimonious, valid, and reliable instrument to assess perceptions of group climate in youth. Recommendations for future research and practice are suggested.

This methodological review includes literature (1987-2022) concerning the role and influence of musical practices-including music therapy and participatory music interventions-on well-being in carceral settings such as jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers. We provide a thorough description of key methodological procedures used in 55 studies: (1) Key Elements of Research Questions; (2) Types of Musical Practices; (3) Musical Genres; (4) Methodologies and Designs; (5) Locations; (6) Theoretical Frameworks; and (7) Samples. Our review indicates that there is difficulty in conducting research in prisons due to limitations imposed on researchers, a paucity of randomized-control trials, and limited generalizability of results due to the heterogeneity of methodological approaches. We suggest that the literature base would benefit from increased attention to issues related to sampling procedures, research questions related to race and gender identity, as well as the delineation between the types of musical practices utilized by music interventions.

A disproportionally large number of adolescents engage in cyber-deviance. However, it is unclear if distinct patterns of adolescent cyber-deviance are evident, and if so, whether and to what extent low self-control is associated with different patterns of cyber-deviance. The current study addressed this research gap by examining the relationship between self-control and distinct latent classes of adolescent cyber-deviance net of potential confounders among a cross-sectional sample of 1793 South Australian adolescents. Four latent classes were identified, each characterized by varying probabilities of involvement in six types of cyber-deviance that were measured. The versatile class (n = 413) had the lowest average level of self-control, followed by the harmful content users (n = 439) and digital piracy (n = 356) classes, with the abstainer class (n = 585) characterized by the highest self-control. Analysis of covariance indicated that the abstainer group had significantly higher self-control than other classes of cyber-deviance. Although the versatile class had noticeably lower average self-control scores than the harmful content users and digital piracy groups, this difference was not significant after correcting for multiple comparisons. Collectively, these findings suggest that self-control appears to distinguish between those who do and do not engage in cyber-deviance but may not distinguish between distinct patterns of cyber-deviance net of other factors.

UK veterans with complex needs arrested in police custody can access support through pre-charge diversion into treatment and ancillary services. We consider why veterans in police custody disengaged from a peer-led criminal justice diversionary support service in one UK region that adopted a continuous case management approach. Seven hundred and fifty-seven veterans were assessed to have high levels of comorbid health needs and socio-economic harms, with one-quarter (26.7%, n = 202) subsequently disengaging from the service. A logistic regression model using Multivariate Imputation by Chained Equations identified that veterans of a younger age, no-fixed-abode, a history of incarceration, and those from a Royal Navy background were likelier to disengage from the intervention. We conclude that this peer-based diversionary model has some efficacy in maintaining the engagement of a highly complex, comorbid segment of criminally-justice-exposed UK military veterans. The perceived benefits of an integrated peer-based model predicated on continuous case-management techniques are discussed.

Past studies on criminal expertise showed that some sexual offenders possess skills related to avoiding detection. An important question that remains unaddressed in the literature, however, is whether unsolved cases can be used as a "proxy" for expertise. The present study sought to provide the first empirical examination of criminal expertise in a sample of solved (n = 732) and unsolved (n = 309) stranger sexual assault cases involving theft. We used binary logistic regression to determine whether behavioral indicators of criminal expertise predicted case status. Findings showed that the most relevant factors related to case solvability were not related to detection avoidance strategies used by the offender, but rather, whether semen evidence was found at the crime scene and the number of sexual acts performed against the victim. Interestingly, cases involving fetish theft were also more likely to remain unsolved. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

In contemporary American corrections, extended solitary confinement (ESM) as a management tool has emerged as a strategy for avowedly controlling the most violent individuals and, in so doing, creating a safer prison system. We theorize that the emergence of this unique form of housing may also be viewed as a signal of prison system failure. To advance this argument, we identify how different theoretical perspectives can be used to anticipate the effects of ESM on prison system violence and order and then investigate the plausibility of this account by grounding it in analysis of qualitative data from a study of one state's prison system. The analysis suggests theoretical and empirical warrant for both views of ESM-as an effective tool and as a symptom of system failure. Implications of the study research and policy are discussed.

Pre-sentence psychological assessments of men who have sexually offended can provide useful information regarding an individual's pathway to offending, risk of recidivism, and treatment needs. The outcome of the assessment can be used in court and has implications for the assessee and society at large. This research sought to explore offenders' opinions regarding the clinicians' approach to the assessment, to identify facilitative aspects of the clinicians' style and to understand how accuracy and honesty can be enhanced in these interactions. Six interviews were conducted with sex offenders on completion of a pre-sentence forensic assessment at a private practice. Applying Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the findings highlighted the relational nature of the assessments, the assessees' feelings of powerlessness, and their perceptions that the interaction helped them personally. The findings and approach advocated for by the assessees are discussed in terms of the associated ethical considerations and practice implications.