International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology最新文献

Important gender differences, relating to trauma history, offending and mental health needs are not sufficiently considered in most (risk) assessment and treatment procedures in forensic practice. We developed guidelines for gender-responsive work in Dutch forensic mental health care. The experiences of practitioners and forensic psychiatric patients were collected and analyzed by means of an online survey (n = 295), interviews with professionals (n = 22), female (n = 8) and male (n = 3) patients. Guidelines regarding gender-sensitive (risk) assessment and trauma-informed care were rated as most relevant in the survey. In the interviews we focused on experiences and wishes for trauma treatment and gender-mixed treatment. Practical guidelines were written based on the results of the survey, interviews and literature, and presented in expert meetings with patients and practitioners, and further refined based on their comments. Applying these guidelines may contribute to improved treatment for female patients thereby preventing relapse.

Life-stories emerge from a wide variety of facts and events in individual lives and weave a selected few of these together to make meaning in the present. They are crucial for constructing identity and influence action by establishing worldviews and a persona that narrators will seek to confirm. In this study we describe three main themes in the life-stories of six incarcerated men in Argentina: a) Protecting family, especially parents; b) reconstructing an ideal past, and contrasting it with a more cynical present; and c) blaming criminal neighborhoods, friends, and girlfriends for their crimes. We discuss how these themes are intertwined, what function they fulfill, and the identities and masculinities they produce. Combining research on life-stories with narrative and psychosocial criminology the analysis reveals how life-stories of incarcerated men can be seen as attempts at countering stigma and defending a self that is under attack. The life-stories portray a believable, 'good', and multifaceted image of the self, but most importantly, create coherence and unity in otherwise chaotic lives.

The facilitation of domestic abuse perpetrator programs (DAPPs) by mixed gender co-facilitation pairs brings different facilitator perspectives and enables the modeling of egalitarian and respectful male-female relationships. This study analyzed 22 video and audio recordings of community-based DAPP groups featuring male participants, and male and female facilitators. Using thematic analysis, we aimed to understand how facilitators engaged participants and whether the facilitator's gender affected this. We found an asymmetry in the positioning of the facilitators. Group participants challenged both facilitators, but especially the female facilitators. Facilitator strategies toward behavior change included softening direct challenges (female facilitators) and mobilizing the shared category of men (male facilitators). Implications from this study are for reflective practice in facilitator management and supervision specifically focused on gendered power dynamics. Skilled facilitation is key to behavior change and the gendered interplay within groups may be a crucial element in the reduction of interpersonal violence and abuse.

The construct validity of the triarchic psychopathy model has yet to be evaluated in the Swedish forensic psychiatric context. We examined associations between the three phenotypic constructs of the triarchic model of psychopathy (i.e., boldness, meanness, disinhibition), self-assessed empathy and anxiety, and clinical variables in 91 individuals undergoing pretrial forensic psychiatric evaluation in Sweden. Participants completed the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) and self-report measures of empathy and anxiety. Clinical variables, including psychiatric diagnoses and criminal behavior, were collected from the forensic psychiatric evaluations (FPE). All three subscales of the TriPM displayed significant and predominantly anticipated correlations with empathy and trait anxiety measures. TriPM Disinhibition was the only subscale with significant associations with the clinical variables collected from the FPEs. The results provide evidence for the reliability and construct validity of the Swedish translation of the TriPM in a pretrial forensic setting.

This study aimed to determine the effect of reality therapy training on self-efficacy and resilience in male prisoners. To this end, a randomized controlled trial was conducted with a pre-test, post-test, and a control group. The research questionnaires including the Scherer self-efficacy questionnaire and the Connor-Davidson resilience questionnaire were administered to 300 prisoners. Of them, 78 prisoners who met the inclusion criteria were selected and randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group attended ten 90-min sessions on reality therapy training per week. At the end of the training period, the study groups were required to attend the post-test. The data were analyzed with the SPSS software version 23 and through an independent t-test and a paired t-test. The results at the post-test phase showed a significant increase of self-efficacy and resilience in the experimental group, as compared to the control group (p < .01). Therefore, it is recommended for authorities to improve the self-efficacy and resilience of prisoners through reality therapy trainings.

In the era of advanced Internet technology, people have more and more opportunities to attack online celebrities through the Internet media. This not only hurts celebrities but subtly and gradually distorts public outlooks on the world and values. However, few studies have explored why and when narcissism is related to online celebrity aggression. The study focused on the relationship between narcissism and online celebrity aggression and the roles of relative deprivation and empathic selfefficacy. A total of 832 participants (female: 28.85%) aged from 17 to 25 years completed the questionnaire. The study found that relative deprivation mediated the relationship between narcissism and online celebrity aggression. Empathic self-efficacy buffered the relationship between narcissism and relative deprivation. The findings reveal the relationship between narcissism and online celebrity aggression and the underlying mechanisms, which enrich the related research in the field of cyberaggression and have some reference value for the intervention of cyberaggression.

Creative writing programs offer prisoners a means of self-expression and rehabilitation, fostering self-reflection and emotional expression by encouraging introspection, channelling emotions, building resilience, and fostering creativity and identity. Despite numerous publications on these programs, there is a lack of summaries detailing the types of programs, providers, target audiences, and rigorous evaluation of the benefits. This scoping review examines 56 sources (peer-reviewed, and non-peer reviewed including dissertations, book chapters, and reports) on creative writing initiatives in prisons, focusing on their characteristics and efficacy. Most studies were conducted in the U.S., Australia, and the U.K., with programs mainly run by universities or charitable organizations. Nearly half of the studies did not provide demographic information about participants, and few included evaluations. Evaluations relied on self-reports, observations, and analysis of written works, with minimal use of surveys or interviews. The study highlights the need for more rigorous research to assess the effectiveness of creative writing programs, which have the potential to improve prisoners' wellbeing during and after imprisonment. Thorough research could demonstrate effectiveness, identify best practices, understand impact, improve programs and inform policy.

While storytelling or expressive writing has been studied in prisoners, little is known about the impact of these art interventions on ex-offenders. This study aims to evaluate a 6-week expressive writing and storytelling program in a group of nine ex-offenders who attend a peer support group. Quantitative data, including psychological recovery, well-being, hope, social support, and loneliness, was collected at baseline and post-program. Individual interviews were conducted at post-program. Results revealed a significant increase in participants' psychological recovery as measured by the Recovery Assessment Scale-revised at post-program with an effect size of 0.56. Three themes about participation in the program emerged: safe space for processing and expressing inner feelings, relating to and connecting with peers, and adjusting the way of thinking. Findings showed this program has the potential to improve ex-offenders' psychological recovery, and provide them with skills to desist from crime and be better serve as peer support workers.

Finding and maintaining employment is difficult for ex-offenders due to their criminal history but often required for community supervision. How ex-offenders discuss criminal history can influence their employment chances. Research has not yet explored moderating effects of race and ethnicity on ex-offender impression management when seeking employment. This study investigates how impression management strategies affect ex-offender hiring and whether race or ethnicity moderates such effects. College students (N = 198) were randomly assigned to vignettes describing an ex-offender job applicant which varied in impression management and race and ethnicity. Participants rated applicants on factors related to hiring decisions. Results indicate ex-offenders who apologized when discussing criminal history received stronger hiring recommendations. Race and ethnicity of the participant or ex-offender did not moderate the effect of impression management on hiring. Overall, ex-offenders benefitted equally from an apologetic strategy when discussing their criminal history regardless of their or the hiring manager's race or ethnicity.

This study examines the role and importance of agency, defined as the ability to recognize personal issues and motivation to change. More specifically, the study aims to explore whether agency can help overcome criminogenic risk and needs in the context of community re-entry among justice-involved individuals. Based on a sample of 14,000 adult males sentenced to probation or incarceration, a series of survival analyses (e.g., Cox proportional hazards) were used to investigate the association between criminogenic risk and needs and agency-related indicators in relation to recidivism. The findings underscore the importance of criminogenic risks and needs while emphasizing the role of motivation to change as a possible moderator. Addressing criminogenic risk and needs while justice-involved individuals face numerous barriers and challenges make desistance from crime a long and difficult process, especially if interventions do not support agentic decisions and behaviors.