Book Review: Offender Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Communities: Enabling Change the TC Way
| DOI | 10.1177/0264550513490124c |
| Author | Dr Francis B Cowe |
| Published date | 01 June 2013 |
| Date | 01 June 2013 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
increasing volume of Crown Court work. Lastly, is to develop forms of community
justice.
Overall, there are some real positives to this book, as well as some considera-
tions that ought to be borne in mind. There are a wide variety of topics explored that
cover many bases, but also keep the reader interested due to their short and concise
nature. In addition, the reader does not need to be literate in law or legal institutions
in order to pick up this book. However, one downfall is that the authors are singing
from the same hymn-sheet and it may have been of value for the reader to have
heard an alternative perspective – such as a voice that felt there was a valid
argument for disbanding the magistracy in the UK and for paid professionals to take
over. Lastly, it was great to have mention of contemporary developments, such as
payment by results, but I wonder what the impact of recent developments such as the
community sentence and probation reviews, as well as the recent LASPO Act, would
have on these arguments.
Without doubt this book is a great read for those individuals who wish to know
more about the past, present and future of the magistracy in England and Wales.
Offender Rehabilitation and
Therapeutic Communities:
Enabling Change the TC Way
Alisa Stevens
Routledge; 2013; pp 215; £24.99, pbk
ISBN: 978-0-41563-527-1
Reviewed by: Dr Francis B Cowe, Head of Newport Centre for
Criminal and Community Justice, University of Wales
This work provides insight into and consideration of the role and value of therapeutic
communities within a custodial setting. By implication the work raises key questions
about the relative efficacy and impact of interventions with ‘high risk offenders’ and
the impact of staff and organizational culture on enabling desistance.
The first chapter provides an overview of the development of democratic ther-
apeutic communities (TC’s) within the English prison system drawing on research,
theoretical and practical perspectives from UK and international settings. The reader
is provided with a consideration of how the provision of such a resource sits against
the wider and statistically much largergeneral prison population and how TC’sfocus
on residents personal maturity, social functioning and personal narrative develop-
ment is targeted on a particular type of offender/resident. Consideration is given to
measures of rehabilitative efficacy both during residence and on release in com-
parison to mainstream prison.
200 Probation Journal 60(2)
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