Showing papers by "Tony Ward published in 2010"

Desistance from Sex Offending: Alternatives to Throwing Away the Keys

Abstract: Part I: General Issues. Introduction. Part II: The Criminological Perspective. Defining and Measuring Desistance. The Age-Crime Curve: A Brief Overview. Major Theories of Desistance. Factors Influencing Desistance. Two Major Theories of Desistance. Part III: The Forensic Psychological Perspective. Do Sex Offenders Desist? Sex Offender Treatment and Desistance. Part IV: Reentry and Reintegration. Barriers to Reentry and Reintegration. Overcoming Barriers to Reentry and Reintegration. Part V: Recruitment. The Unknown Sex Offenders: Bringing Them in from the Cold. Blending Theory and Practice: A Crimininological Perspective. Part VI: Desistance-Focused Intervention. The Good Lives Model of Offender Rehabilitation: Basic Assumptions, Etiological Commitments, and Practice Implications. The Good Lives Model and Desistance Theory and Research: Points of Convergence. The Good Lives-Desistance Model: Assessment and Treatment. Part VII:Where to from Here? Dignity, Punishment, and Human Rights: The Ethics of Desistance. Moral Strangers or One of Us?: Concluding Thoughts.

Desistance and Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders: Facilitation or Hindrance?

Abstract: In an ideal world, there would be a seamless relationship between interventions that focus on risk factors causally associated with sexual reoffending and the subsequent release of, and ongoing support for, offenders into the community. However, emotionally fueled and uninformed public responses to news of released sex offenders, and the legislation such responses have inspired, severely hinder this process. Our aims in this paper are to review findings of research on community attitudes about sex offenders within a desistance framework. More specifically, we provide a synthesis of the current research literature on attitudes towards sex offenders. Second, we consider in more detail those studies that include community member samples. Third, we review interventions aimed at promoting attitude change amongst professionals working with sex offenders and finally formulate some recommendations for promoting positive attitude change amongst the general public.

Treatment readiness, treatment engagement and behaviour change

Abstract: Background Non-completion of treatment is a common occurrence in correctional contexts. Non-completion compromises service cost-efficiency, impacts adversely on staff and service user morale and may limit the effectiveness of therapy. Attention needs to be paid to enhancing offenders' readiness for treatment, and developing and maintaining their engagement. Argument In this paper, we state that research and practice in offender treatment readiness and engagement need to be driven in four major ways: (1) the construction of models of engagement that are theoretically based and empirically evidenced that can underpin assessments and treatments; (2) the development of psychometrically robust assessments of treatment readiness, motivation and engagement that can be used to select offenders for treatment or measure change over time; (3) the design, implementation and evaluation of pre-treatment preparation procedures that can promote treatment engagement and completion; and (4) the development of strategies that address barriers to engagement as an integral part of treatment. Conclusions This special issue contains contributions from leading researchers on the assessment of engagement, effects of engagement and non-engagement on outcomes, offenders' reasons for non-completion of treatment programmes, and the development of a measure of offenders' current concerns and life aspirations. These studies will improve research and practice in offender treatment readiness and engagement, and this could lead to better outcomes in terms of reduced re-offending. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Transitions to Better Lives: Offender Readiness and Rehabilitation

Abstract: The aim of this book is to describe, collate, and summarise a body of recent research, both theoretical and empirical, that explores the issue of treatment readiness in offender programming. The book is divided into three different sections. The first section unpacks a model of treatment readiness and how it has been operationalised; the second section discusses how the construct has been applied to the treatment of different offender groups; and in the final section, some of the practice approaches that have been identified as holding promise in addressing low levels of offender readiness are discussed.

Desistance from Sex Offending: Motivating Change, Enriching Practice

Abstract: In this article we draw from desistance research and a strength-based rehabilitation theory, the Good Lives Model (GLM), to present a richer way of intervening with sex offenders. First, we define the concept of desistance and outline some of the major research findings concerning the factors that help offenders to cease offending. Second we briefly describe current best practice sex offender treatment and discuss its efficacy. Third, we explore the relationship between desistance research and the GLM, arguing that the GLM provides a useful conduit for desistance ideas into sex offender treatment programs. Fourth, we briefly consider the treatment implications of an integrated desistance-GLM approach.

Good Lives Model Applied to a Forensic Population

Abstract: According to the good lives model (GLM) all human beings seek primary goods (i.e., activities or experiences that benefit them) and offending reflects attempts to pursue these goods in ways that are unacceptable to society and damaging to the individual and others. The aim of this article was to explore how the GLM can be developed for use with a forensic population, a heterogeneous group of individuals whose common feature is the interface of the criminal justice and mental health systems. The conceptual, clinical and philosophical implications of using the good lives model of forensic mental health (GLM-FM) are explored. Three case studies are used to illustrate the ways in which the enriched model can provide a holistic approach to conceptualizing offending that occurs in the context of mental illness and in guiding treatment planning. It is suggested that the augmented model provides a clinically flexible and ethically sound framework for formulating treatment issues for forensic patients.

Pathways to female sexual offending: approach or avoidance?

Abstract: This study forms the second part of a larger investigation into the offence process characteristics of female sexual offenders (FSOs). In the first part – documented in Gannon, Rose, and Ward (Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 20, 352–374, 2008) – we described the development of the Descriptive Model of Female Sexual Offending (DMFSO); an offence process model developed using Grounded Theory methodology to describe the sequence of cognitive, affective, behavioural and contextual factors generating female-perpetrated sexual abuse. The second study described here examines the prevalence of specific pathways characterizing the 22 FSOs originally used to develop the DMFSO. Four individuals could not be assigned to a pathway due to lack of information (18% of the overall sample). However, for the remaining 18 participants, three stable pathways to female sexual offending were identified: Explicit Approach offenders (50%, n=9), who intended to offend, and explicitly planned their offen...

Offender Rehabilitation as a Value-Laden Process

Abstract: This article investigates some of the primary assumptions and values that underpin correctional practice in the area of offender rehabilitation. It is suggested that values are reflected in offenders' and clinicians' fundamental beliefs about the rehabilitative process and as such underlie their various actions. This article identifies three areas in which values may be important (organisational values about crime and punishment, professional values, and personal values) and discusses each in relation to its relevance for rehabilitative practice. It is concluded that despite the apparent role of values in the correctional domain, very little is known about the values of those who deliver rehabilitative programs and how these might influence rehabilitative outcomes.

What's in a measure? A multi-method study of child sexual offenders' beliefs

Abstract: The hypothesis that child sexual offenders (CSOs) hold distorted, offence-supportive beliefs is usually investigated using interview and questionnaire techniques. However, in light of various probl...

Human rights and rehabilitation outcomes.

Abstract: Purpose. The aim of this article is to introduce rehabilitation professionals to the rapidly growing literature on human rights particularly as it relates to health and rehabilitation. The article aims to stimulate further discussion and debate concerning the place of human rights in rehabilitation practice.Method. Some important milestones in the recent history of the human rights movement are briefly outlined, and some important terms in the rights literature are explained. The Ward and Birgden model of the structure of human rights is then described as an example of a rights perspective that might have particular relevance for health and social services and rehabilitation.Results. A rehabilitation case study is presented as an example of how the Ward and Birgden model could have practical relevance when deciding on the most important outcomes for an individual in rehabilitation.Conclusion. Human rights are playing an increasing role in the struggle to improve health and healthcare globally. They also h...

Punishment or therapy? The ethics of sexual offending treatment

Abstract: The claim that sex offender treatment is a form of punishment and as such cannot be covered by traditional ethical codes is a controversial one. It challenges the ethical basis of current practice and compels clinicians to rethink the work they do with sex offenders. In this paper I comment on Bill Glaser's defence of that idea in a challenging and timely paper and David Prescott and Jill Leveson's rejection of his claims. First, I consider briefly the nature of both punishment and treatment and outline Glaser's argument and Prescott and Levenson's rejoinder. I then investigate what a comprehensive argument for either position should look like and finish with a few comments on each paper.

Dignity, rights and capabilities in clinical rehabilitation

Abstract: Purpose. The purpose of this article is to explore three concepts namely dignity, human rights and capabilities and to argue for their relevance in advancing the theory and practice of rehabilitation.Method. A narrative review of selected academic writing on the three constructs is considered with respect to the rehabilitation literature.Results. Each concept is defined and technical terms are explained for readers unfamiliar with these topics. Salient aspects of academic or scientific writing on each of these three topics is summarised and attempts are made to integrate these with rehabilitation.Conclusions. Dignity, rights and capabilities are three concepts that have the potential to enhance theory development in rehabilitation.

Relapse prevention : a critique and proposed reconceptualisation

Abstract: Relapse prevention (RP) plays a significant role in current treatments and post-treatment approaches to substance abuse problems. It is also widely used in a number of other problem areas, including other addictive behaviours and sexual offending. The widespread use of RP in various fields is due to both its clearly articulated theoretical basis, which has significant face validity, and its transferability into clinical practice. Also, there is a growing (though arguably still modest) body of empirical evidence that demonstrates its efficacy in a range of therapeutic contexts. However, arguably, in terms of both the theoretical underpinnings and the practical application of RP there is room for improvement. This article hypothesises that one of the key weaknesses of RP is that it takes a generally unconstructive approach to the therapeutic process through the use of negative concepts and avoidance goals. It is suggested that a 'good lives' framework of psychological wellbeing can provide a means of remedying these weaknesses of the traditional RP model. It is argued that a good lives framework can lead to a more optimistic approach to the prevention of relapse among individuals with substance use problems.

Is offender rehabilitation a form of punishment

Abstract: This paper examines the consequences of the overlap between punishment and rehabilitation practices, and inquires into the implications for individuals who assess and treat offenders. More specifically, I make three claims concerning the relationship between offender rehabilitation and punishment. First, rehabilitation as it is commonly understood in the offending arena contains some components that meet the criteria for punishment, in the ethical sense of that term. It is also true that there are aspects of rehabilitation that are focused directly on assisting offenders to live better lives (higher levels of well‐being) and therefore which do not meet the criteria for punishment. Second, there are a number of significant practice implications that follow from the hybrid nature of offender rehabilitation. Third, Duff's communicative theory of punishment (Duff, 2001) offers clinicians a stronger justification for the punishment aspects of rehabilitation than its retributive and consequential rivals.

Descriptive Model of the Offence Process of Women Violent Offenders: Distal Background Variables

Abstract: The literature indicates two areas of growing concern in regard to the perpetration of violence by women. One is that the incidence of violence perpetrated by women is increasing across jurisdictions. The other is that despite their growing numbers the knowledge and understanding of violent women has been greatly hindered by the general lack of empirical investigation of this population. The present study uses a grounded theory approach to develop a preliminary descriptive model of the offence process of women violent offenders. The women's violent offence model (WVOM) has four distinct levels or phases. The current article addresses the first of these in detail, consisting of the distal background variables. This phase of the model includes experiences of childhood and adolescence, providing preliminary insight into the more stable distal predispositional factors underlying women's violent offending.

Dignity, Virtue, and Punishment: The Ethical Justification of Disciplinary Segregation in Prisoners

Abstract: In this paper I reflect on Bersot and Arrigo’s argument that virtue ethics provides a sound ethical theory to guide judicial decisions concerning the legitimacy of subjecting mentality disordered offenders to long-term disciplinary solitary confinement. I expand on three issues evident in the Bersot and Arrigo paper: (1) the nature and justification of punishment; (2) the concept of dignity and its relevance to mentally disordered offenders placed in disciplinary solitary confinement, and (3) the nature and scope of virtue theory in the criminal justice context.

Supporting Rights-Based Ideas in Policy and Practice

Abstract: Principles of human rights rest at the heart of social justice and notions of an inclusive society. This article seeks to refocus practice attention on the issue of human rights and the ways in which rights-based ideas can be integrated across practice, policy and legal domains. It argues that creating systems in which critical components mutually reinforce rightsbased ideas will be more likely to have the depth of influence required to shift thinking toward rights-based practice and maintain its endurance over time.