Editorial

Pages173-173
Date14 August 2017
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-02-2017-0005
Published date14 August 2017
AuthorNeil Gredecki,Carol Ireland
Subject MatterHealth & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Forensic practice,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Law enforcement/correctional,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice
Neil Gredecki and Carol Ireland
Welcome to the current issue of the Journal of Forensic Practice that presents seven papers that
collectively reflect the varied nature of forensic practice internationally. The issue starts with an
invited paper Capturing the scene: efficacy test of the re-enactment investigative instruction,by
Launay and Py in the field of eyewitness testimony. This research paper tests the re-enactment
investigative instruction, with the authors reporting that in their sample the re-enactment
interview elicited more correct information than a semi-structured interview. As such, they
suggest that this form of interview shows the potential to increase witness recall of both
additional correct information and investigative-relevant information. The findings have practical
implications in the field of eyewitness testimony and criminal investigation.
The next paper by Challinor and Duff examines sexual offending hierarchies constructed by the
general public and forensic staff based on person attitudes and per ceptions of the se verity of
the offence. What follows are three papers linked to the field of forensic mental health. The first,
by Craven and Tonki n, compares learning-disab led (LD) and non-LD offende rs in terms of their
relating styles , as well as examining the relatio nship between relating styles a nd offence types.
In their sample, the a uthors report that cognitive functi oning is associated with higher lev els of
interpersonal deficit, with there being increased treatment needs for an LD offender population,
and different trea tment needs amongst LD and non-LD offenders. As such, they call for more
research to examine the needs of lower functioning offenders in order to inform LD-specific
interventions.
Given the clinical importance of understanding co-morbidity in offender populations, Bennett and
Johnson examinethe prevalence of comorbiditiesof Axis I and II disorders in a sampleof high-risk
male prisoners.Their findings suggest that certainAxis II disorders may increasethe risk of lifetime
Axis I disorders.Next, Das and colleagues investigatethe extent and severity of substancemisuse
and correspondingtreatment needs in patients with a primarydiagnosis of personality disorderin
comparison with mental illness in a high secure hospital. The findings substantiate existing
evidence that substance misuse contributes to mental health problems and criminogenic
behaviour, as well as outlining new findings in regards to the relationship of substance misuse to
offending in schizophrenia and personality disorder in the given population.
This issue ends with t wo review papers. The first by Das and co lleagues is a systematic review
of work-related stress in forensic mental health professionals. The review concludes that
forensic mental he alth workers, as a pop ulation, are at risk o f stress and burnout; although
there is insufficient evidence to establish whether or not they suffer from higher levels of stress
than their non-forensic colleagues. The final paper is a short discussion paper by Birch and
colleagues examining the portrayal of homophobic and non-homophobic aggression in print
media. Utilising a n integrated groun ded behavioural li nguistic inquiry a pproach, the paper
illustrates diff erences in the them es contained in rep orts of homophobi c aggression when
compared to the re ports of non-homo phobic aggressio n.
DOI 10.1108/JFP-02-2017-0005 VOL. 19 NO. 3 2017, p. 173, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2050-8794
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JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PRACTICE
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Editorial

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