The Journal of Forensic Practice

vLex
Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Publication date:
2021-02-01
ISBN:
2050-8794

Issue Number

Latest documents

  • Guest editorial: Past, present and future – using the evidence base to support transforming delivery in His Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service
  • Developmental milestones and terrorism: age-linked variations in risk assessment

    Purpose: Against a backdrop of an increasingly younger terrorist cohort within His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, this study aims to explore the relationship between age and various Extremism Risk Guidance 22+ (ERG22+) assessment outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: A database of 490 individuals was developed by coding content of ERG22+ reports from 2010 to 2021, equating to nearly all cases in England and Wales across this time period. Socio-demographic information, offending histories, online activities and risk factors were coded for all individuals. This study focuses on 465 individuals convicted of terrorist/terrorist-related offending, with statistical analyses used to compare three age groups: “20 and under” (61 cases), 21–25 (133 cases) and “26 and over” (271 cases). Findings: Significant associations were found between presence of certain behaviours/characteristics and age groups. For those aged 20 and under, a heightened propensity for excitement, comradeship and adventure, along with greater susceptibility to influence and need for status were generally key to offending pathways, with a diminished likelihood of a prior criminal history. Of the three ERG22+ dimensions, findings indicate a weak but significant negative correlation between age and engagement levels. Practical implications: Recommendations include ensuring extremism risk assessments reflect age-specific behaviours and tendencies, that interventions are tailored to address common age-related vulnerabilities, and the need for age-specific policies to support and manage children and young adults within the counter-terrorism space. Originality/value: These novel findings point towards notable developmental milestones in adolescence, affecting behavioural tendencies and risk. This underscores the importance of age as a determinant when interpreting extremism risk assessments.

  • Prisoner perceptions of the environmental impact on self-harm and suicidal behaviour

    Purpose: Improving prison safety by reducing self-harm and suicidal behaviour remains a government priority (Ministry of Justice, 2021). This involves developing a better understanding of the relationship between prison environments, self-harm/suicidal behaviour and the prison conditions supporting a reduction in such behaviour. Through interpretive phenomenological analysis, the authors aim to explore prisoners’ perceptions of one prison environment, considering if/how the environment has impacted prisoners need for support via the assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT) process. Design/methodology/approach: Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with seven prisoners at an adult male establishment who had not been on an ACCT since arriving there but had at least two active ACCT documents in the 12 months prior to transfer. Findings: Analysis identified four superordinate themes: facilities, population, mentality and interaction with staff. This research increases understanding of specific factors contributing to prisoner’s lack of need for support via an ACCT document. Research limitations/implications: A small sample within one prison for those convicted of sexual offences was used. Therefore, the findings are not fully generalisable to all establishments. The authors did not control for factors beyond the environment that could have contributed to prisoner’s lack of need for support via an ACCT document. Practical implications: By conducting research, Forensic Psychologists are uniquely placed to increase research evidence to support the improvement of prison safety, whilst promoting its application in practice. Several recommendations about enhancing prison environments are made. Originality/value: The findings provide insight into specific aspects of a prison environment that impacts prisoners’ level of self-harm and suicidal behaviour.

  • Gang membership and rehabilitation: an exploration of narrative accounts from violent gang offenders in an English prison

    Purpose: The majority of gang research has focussed primarily on American samples, with the rehabilitative field being no exception. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to expand the knowledge base regarding the psychology of gang membership by exploring the narrative accounts of convicted street gang members within an English and Welsh prison sample. Design/methodology/approach: Using semi-structured interviews with nine convicted male prisoners, data were analysed, systematically coded and themes generated in line with the principles of thematic analysis. Findings: Three major themes emerged which depicted how members viewed gang membership. The first theme was around what being a gang member meant to them and the organisation within the gang (e.g. hierarchy and criminal activities). The second theme reflected their motivations for joining a gang with reference to their identity and survival. Lastly, within the third theme, participants spoke about what had motivated them to disengage from the gang, difficulties they faced because of disengagement, and what they felt had helped them in the process of disengagement. Practical implications: The study emphasises the importance of avoiding labels and promoting choice as to how individuals refer to themselves, which can help remove stigma and strengthen professional relationships as part of their risk management planning. Policymakers, practitioners and programme developers are advised to reflect on the word “gang” and how this may influence perception of risk and contribute to bias in judgement. The study also provides insight into individuals experiences with rehabilitation initiatives and the logistical challenges of being open with their peer group. Also supports ideas on considering how to create opportunities to ensure those who wish to exit gangs can do so in a safe, legitimate and durable way. Findings could assist in the design of early preventative measures for those identified as being at risk of joining a gang. Offering training to professionals in the community on how to identify and communicate with those vulnerable to joining a gang may support this process. Originality/value: Findings add to the limited yet growing evidence base in understanding the psychology of gang membership and helping to support the work undertaken with this cohort.

  • Evaluation of the effectiveness of a diversity and inclusion committee on a psychologically informed planned environment in a UK prison

    Purpose: Psychologically Informed Planned Environments (PIPEs) are designed to support individuals to develop positive relationships. This can be achieved through social activities and engagement with committees. Developing understanding of diversity and inclusion (D&I) continues to be an area of need in criminal justice. A custodial PIPE therefore developed a D&I committee, which included the planning and delivery of community events. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of the committee and events in increasing understanding of protected characteristics, enabling individuals to raise D&I-related issues, developing positive relationships and increasing feelings of safety. Design/methodology/approach: Eight participants residing on a PIPE engaged in semi-structured interviews to explore their experience of the D&I committee and events. Thematic analysis was used to explore the responses and to identify common themes within the data. Findings: Four themes were identified: “you’re in a safe environment here”, connectedness, opportunities to learn and grow and “it could be better”. The research indicated that the D&I committee and events support several of the enabling environments standards and provide prisoners with an opportunity to build on their strengths and capabilities, in line with the Good Lives Model (Ward, 2002; Ward and Gannon, 2006), which underpins the ethos of PIPEs (NOMS and DoH, 2012; HMPPS and NHS, 2023). Practical implications: There is scope for similar committees to be implemented in other psychologically informed environments, which could potentially be extended to other therapeutic environments and “standard wings” within prisons. However, future research should consider the influence of prisoners’ individual characteristics on their experience of such committees and events. Originality/value: PIPEs provide a unique environment in which various committees can be implemented. A D&I committee has provided the space and opportunity for staff and prisoners to develop their knowledge and understanding and to build positive relationships. This research has evaluated the effectiveness of this and aims to promote the use of such committees in other services.

  • Are indeterminate sentenced prisoners prepared for open prison? Practical implications/applications of an exploratory study in an English open prison

    Purpose: Research indicates the challenges indeterminate sentenced prisoners (ISPs) face within open prison may have a potentially devastating impact on rehabilitation and prison sentence progression. The authors conducted a study in an English open prison to explore whether the closed prison environment within England and Wales is sufficiently preparing ISPs for the transition to open conditions. There is currently a gap in existing research concerning this issue, which this paper aims to narrow for the purpose of informing good practice and improving sentence progression and rehabilitation outcomes within His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative and exploratory. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes (Braun and Clarke, 2019). Findings: Findings indicated the need for policy in closed prisons to better prepare ISPs for open prison and the need for policy in open prisons to better support ISPs during the liminal phase. Practical implications: Findings aimed to inform consideration for improvements to enhance preparation for, and transition to, open conditions. A 17-month follow-up after dissemination of the research found evidence for the practical application of the findings at a local level within HMPPS and potential for wider applications linking to strategy and ISP initiatives. Originality/value: If applied more widely across HMPPS in both closed and open prisons, the research findings have the potential to improve sentence progression and rehabilitation outcomes for ISPs.

  • Exploring the impact of custodial parkrun in an English women’s prison: HMPPS psychologists and partners delivering a best practice evaluation

    Purpose: This paper describes qualitative research evaluating the impacts of parkrun in a female prison. The extended methodology section explains why HMPPS psychologists have been ideally suited to investigate custodial parkrun whilst successfully partnering with a range of stakeholders, conferring benefits that could not have been achieved in any other way. Design/methodology/approach: Purposive sampling resulted in 15 semi-structured interviews with prisoner parkrunners and volunteers at a women’s prison in England. Findings: A range of highly positive parkrun experiences were described, which were grouped into four themes with sub-themes; improved mental and physical health, a sense of purpose, enhanced connections to others and stabilisation in prison. Women struggled when custodial parkrun was inconsistently delivered. Research limitations/implications: Custodial parkrun offers an opportunity for women to develop factors underpinning health and well-being, harnesses elements which engage women in physical activity and mitigates some gendered barriers to exercise. The findings also describe factors which are important to desistance, the development of a rehabilitation culture, self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000) and a trauma-informed approach. The opportunity for women to participate in parkrun through the gate may offer an important and sustainable “catalyst for change” (Maruna, 2001, p. 96). Practical implications: The paper discusses how parkrun might be further utilised across the female prison estate. It adds to the evidence base regarding the benefits of physical activity for women, which might be considered when developing a sports strategy specific to the female estate. Additionally, HMPPS managers hoping to further develop the rehabilitation culture in their establishment might be persuaded as to the benefits of parkrun in this regard. Finally, the work provides an exemplar of how HMPPS psychologists can work with stakeholders to enhance practice evaluations. Originality/value: This is only the second published research paper focusing on the impacts of parkrun in the custodial estate, and the first looking at women. Additionally, its inclusion in this Special Edition mean it is among the first published works describing how HMPPS psychologists can successfully partner with stakeholders to support evidence-based practice.

  • The experience of stress, coping and support for prison officer negotiators in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service

    Purpose: Negotiation is an established strategy used by the police and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to manage serious incidents. Whilst the literature acknowledges the role of the negotiator to be stressful, little is known about the experience of stress and the coping strategies used by negotiators when undertaking this role. This is particuarly true for negotiators who work in prisons. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore the experience of negotiators working in a prison setting. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 prison officer negotiators based in public sector prisons in the North West of England. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Four overarching themes were identified relating to stressors; the experience of stress; use of coping strategies; and use of support. An underlying theme was identified relating to negotiating within the structure of a prison regime. Practical implications: People involved in the management of serious incidents should be familiar with the negotiator role. Debriefing negotiators after a lone deployment and offering support to negotiators in the days following an incident is critical for staff well-being. Further, record keeping from the perspective of the negotiator should become formalised. Originality/value: This paper contributes new insights into the management of serious incidents and the negotiator experience in prisons in England and Wales.

  • What are prison offender managers’ experiences of delivering New Me MOT?

    Purpose: The New Me MOT toolkit is part of the His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) accredited offending behaviour programmes, consisting of a series of short exercises that enable offender managers to support graduates of the programmes to generalise their learning. This study was commissioned by HMPPS with the aim to evaluate the delivery of the toolkit in custody, through exploring probation prison offender managers’ (POMs’) delivery experiences. Design/methodology/approach: Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants from male prisons in England and Wales via semi-structured interviews (n = 8), and data was analysed through thematic analysis. Findings: Five overarching themes with related subthemes were identified: New Me MOT is useful, flexible toolkit, motivation of the prisoner, limited resources and lack of structured guidance. Research limitations/implications: Future research should consider investigating POMs’ experiences from other prison establishments, to explore any possible additional findings about what impacts New Me MOT delivery in custody. Practical implications: Suggestions were made to improve the future delivery of the toolkit across HMPPS. This is fundamental to support the behavioural change process. Originality/value: No previous research on New Me MOT exists. This study findings showed that, based on the experiences of eight POMs interviewed, there are factors which aid and obstruct the toolkit delivery. This suggests that POMs might miss opportunities to prioritise generalisation of work for those most in need, target their criminogenic needs and tailor the toolkit content according to participants’ personal circumstances.

  • What influences the use of seclusion? A cross-sectional study of forensic mental health nurses in a UK high secure hospital

    Purpose: Incidents of violence and aggression are a regular occurrence within adult forensic mental health inpatient settings and often lead to the use of restrictive practices such as seclusion. Such events are frequently attributed to the complexity of the patients. Research commonly focuses on patient’s characteristics and their association with seclusion use. Less attention has been centred on forensic mental health nurses’ attitudes to seclusion and the association of nursing staff characteristics. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken using a standardised questionnaire, “Survey of Nurses’ Attitudes to Seclusion”. Responses were received from n = 147 nurses at a high secure forensic mental health hospital in the UK. Findings: Key findings indicate that most participants believed seclusion should remain part of clinical practice. A correlation was identified between forensic mental health nurses’ attitudes to seclusion use and their characteristics: gender, age range, educational level and experience. Practical implications: This paper presents novel information on seclusion reduction opportunities through modifiable workforce factors such as gender-sensitive rostering and staff training and development. Furthermore, recruitment and retention strategies should be prioritised so forensic mental health is perceived as an attractive career and a safe workplace. Originality/value: The paucity of research in this area has prompted calls for further research to explore nursing staff characteristics and seclusion use. This is particularly important now due to the current global difficulty in the recruitment and retention of mental health nurses.

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