International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology最新文献

This study explores the repercussions of community supervision on justice-involved women on probation, utilizing Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory (1954) as an organizational framework to analyze the impact of these challenges. This study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine the results and organize the discussion around the dimensions of impact experienced by these women. The study reveals that the impact of offending on participants is multifaceted, encompassing various dimensions with reciprocal relationships, and outlining diverse levels of human motivational needs. The analysis identifies superordinate thematic categories, illustrating the impact on essential, occupational, relational, and developmental levels. These categories align with Maslow's physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization needs, respectively, and propose practice-based implications for helpers and mental health professionals working with this population. In conclusion, the experience of offending and probation has a complex impact in the lives of women, requiring a multifaceted recovery process that addresses diverse challenges across various needs.

This study explores environmental factors associated with homicide in New Zealand, focusing on body disposal. Analysing 383 incidents through the lenses of Temperature Aggression and Routine Activity theories, we examined temporal, spatial, and associated influences. Temporal patterns, including higher homicide rates in the evening and on weekends, generally supported Routine Activity theory, highlighting situational and social factors in the occurrence of homicide. Spatial patterns revealed perpetrators typically dispose of bodies within close proximity to the crime scene, with distances rarely exceeding 50 km, suggesting law enforcement can improve investigative efficiency by concentrating search efforts nearby. There were greater odds of body disposal in rural regions, and reduced odds in residential homes. Our findings underscore the importance of strategic and informed investigative procedures. By adopting more targeted approaches, law enforcement may have greater success in the intervention of homicide through increasing the efficiency of investigations, ultimately enhancing public safety.

Prison rehabilitation and community re-entry programmes implemented during incarceration or in the transitional period serve as significant mechanisms for facilitating justice-involved individuals in their post-release adaptation. This systematic review summarises various types of rehabilitation and re-entry programmes in prisons and in the community, and assesses their effectiveness in reducing recidivism and improving social reintegration among incarcerated and recently released justice-involved individuals. The database searches yielded a total of 2,333 papers, of which 34 studies were included in the review. A majority of the studies addressed the domains of psychosocial health, access to healthcare services, vocational training, parenting, and relationship skills. Overall, the review indicated that psychosocial and health interventions reduced recidivism while vocational interventions demonstrated positive effect on behaviour but mixed results in reducing recidivism rates and improving the scope for social reintegration. The study recommends adequate consideration of the needs and characteristics of the cohort of justice-involved individuals, as well as specific societal factors, to develop and implement interventions that ensure the continuity and positive long-term impact of these rehabilitation programmes.

Emerging adulthood is increasingly acknowledged as a discrete developmental stage with its own specific challenges. Identity formation is a major development task during emerging adulthood, yet its relationship to dynamic risk factors remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between identity diffusion and dynamic risk factors in a sample of young, incarcerated adults. The study involved 99 males between ages of 18 and 23, serving custodial sentences in four Lithuanian prisons. Zero-order correlations showed significant relationships between the length of the current sentence and psychopathology, and the number of previous sentencing occasions and dynamic risk factors. The results of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that identity diffusion explained dynamic risk factors above and beyond criminal history, protective factors, and psychopathology. These findings support a developmentally informed approach to correctional treatment, suggesting that interventions targeting identity diffusion could be suitable and beneficial for young, incarcerated adults. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

This study aims to determine the effect of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-based psychoeducation on anger control and cognitive flexibility in individuals convicted of homicide. The study was completed with 47 individuals convicted of murder (23 control, 24 experimental) in the form of pretest-posttest control group experimental design. The experimental group received eight sessions of psychoeducation, while the control group received no intervention. The data was collected using the personal information form, controlled anger scale (CAS), and cognitive flexibility inventory (CFI). The data was analyzed by number, percentage distribution, and paired samples t-tests. After CBT-based psychoeducation, anger control and cognitive flexibility scores of the individuals in the experimental group increased compared to the individuals in the control group. In addition, it was determined that the difference between the pre-test and post-test total mean scores of CAS and CFI of the individuals in the experimental group was statistically significant (p < .05). In addition, it was determined that CBT-based psychoeducation had a "large" effect size of CAS (2.01) and CFI (1.06).

Through narrative interviews with 16 men leaving prison in Aotearoa New Zealand, the current research contributes to the literature on the role of employment in desistance by emphasising some of the barriers to (or limitations of) its desisting effects. In particular, the study emphasises structural constraints in the colonial setting of Aotearoa New Zealand, which can prevent Indigenous Māori men from obtaining stable, rewarding work. The study emphasises how different types of work and work environments can have varying effects on desistance, with some even encouraging reoffending and needing to be 'knifed off' to support the men's desistance journeys. It is argued that those leaving prison should not be encouraged into 'any' job, but rather work which provides adequate remuneration, satisfaction, and opportunities to build a positive identity to foster desistance. This may require the state, particularly the Department of Corrections, and employers to facilitate opportunities into suitable employment.

This work investigates the effects of pre-employment training on employment outcomes for previously incarcerated individuals using two theories developed in the discipline of economics: human capital theory and signaling theory. Human capital theory suggests that preemployment training increases wages and the likelihood of employment by building relevant skills that would improve productivity. Signaling theory asserts that the completion of pre-employment training acts as a signal of participant ability, as ability is known to the applicant but unknown to employers. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, results support hypotheses related to signaling theory for individuals without a history of incarceration, but show no meaningful relationship between pre-employment training and employment outcomes for previously incarcerated individuals. Findings contribute to both economic and criminal justice theory and can be used to inform employment interventions for those with or without a history of incarceration.

Existing research has demonstrated the benefits of therapist self-disclosure (TSD) in strengthening therapeutic alliance. However, little is known about its effectiveness in the forensic context. The current research sought to address this gap by interviewing six Compassion Focused (CFT) therapists who had experience of working across a range of forensic settings. Results of an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) indicated that all participants advocated using TSD as a powerful therapeutic tool when working with forensic clients. However, there was a tension between balancing risk with the rewards of TSD, and participants expressed how the secure forensic environment was not conducive to its use. There was a consensus that TSD was more strongly discouraged with clients who had sexual convictions. For some, this had an impact on their own disclosures. Training on the function of TSD is recommended in forensic practice to address some of the environmental barriers to its implementation.

In 2021 an article was published that presented an art therapy in prisons program that emerged through a contractual partnership between a major state university and that state's Department of Corrections, funded by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The program was charged to provide art therapy with youthful offenders to alleviate behavioral, emotional, and intellectual impediments to their education. The program began in the summer of 2019 with a 3-year contract for two full-time art therapists for four sites. Responses to the annual reports and subsequent changes and benefits to the targeted population resulted in the contract being revised in the summer of 2021 that expanded it considerably, to four full-time art therapists for nine prisons. This follow-up research article will delineate the successful efficacy of this program and the impactful changes instituted since its inception and expansion. In addition, this article will further examine the evolution in the data gathering process, specifically applying more distinct considerations needed to accurately examine the effectiveness of the program.

The opioid crisis continues to impact millions across the United States, with women facing unique challenges in both the development of opioid use disorder (OUD) and the pursuit of recovery. This study explores justice-involved women's experiences in sober living homes (SLHs), examining the organizational, societal, individual, and behavioral health factors influencing their recovery journeys. Through in-depth interviews and focus groups, the study found that many women were first introduced to opioids through legitimate medical prescriptions and faced significant barriers to accessing and sustaining treatment. Challenges such as limited treatment availability, stigma, particularly for pregnant and parenting women, unstable housing, and unaddressed trauma were common themes. Despite these obstacles, participants emphasized the critical role of sober living homes in providing structure, support, and opportunities for rebuilding their lives. The findings underscore the need for expanded access to women-centered recovery housing for justice-involved women and the integration of trauma-informed care into treatment programs.