Editorial
| Pages | 245-246 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-08-2017-0031 |
| Date | 13 November 2017 |
| Published date | 13 November 2017 |
| Author | Neil Gredecki,Carol Ireland |
| Subject Matter | Health & 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 final issue of 2017. This issue brings together a range of research papers, case
studies and brief papers. The first paper by Shaw and Edelmann investigates the relationship
between personality disorder treatment readiness and dropout from community-based
offending behaviour group interventions in the UK: a cognitive skills programme, a general
violence programme and a programme for domestically abusive men. Based on their findings,
they report that paranoid and antisocial personality pathology present important obstacles to
effective offending behaviour group work in the community. The findings call for further
consideration to be given to these important responsivity factors in the delivery and evaluation of
such interventions.
A second research paper by Hargate and colleagues explores the experiences of both staff
and patients in a mediu m-secure mental he alth unit, in relatio n to the self-harm and/ or
suicidal behaviour of others. Interpretative phenomenological analysis is used to analyse
semi-structured interviews conducted with staff and patients. Three dominant themes were
identified duri ng analysis: the impa ct of suicide and self -harm; the role of othe rs; and
the importance of understanding and experience. The paper provides an insight into the
experiences of sta ff and patients in a medium-secure ma le mental health unit, offering ben efits
to practitioners when considering support mechanisms. A third research paper by Huthwaite
and colleagues use s a modest sample size in order to explore weig ht changes during
psychiatric hospitalisation to identify “obesogenic”features in a mixed inpatient service.
Based on the data collected, they inform us that whilst antipsychotic medication is known to
cause weight gain , this should not be con sidered in isolati on when attempting to explain
psychiatric inp atient obesity. Th ey argue that an inpati ent admission is a n opportunity to
provide a healthie r eating environment , health education and assert ively promote less
sedentary behaviour and healthier sleep habits.
What follow are two c ase study papers. The first by Maltman and T urner describes a
case involving pa rtnership working w ith a female offende r with complex needs. Drawing on
recommendations from the 2011 Offender Personality Disorder Strategy around
partnership work ing, the paper descri bes the developmen t of a “volcano metaphor”as a
conceptual frame work to assist those w orkers without psyc hological training to better
understand the co mplexity of a client’s intense emo tional world. The paper also refle cts on the
impact of an individualised formulation and inter-agency working on through-the-gate working.
Duff and colleagues t hen present a case stud y of what they describe as b eing a novel
serviceforthenon-offendingpartners(NOPs) of men who have sexually offended
against children. They examine the rationale for the service and preliminary qualitative
data that reflect how NOPs experie nce the group innovat ions. Despite a small gr oup size,
the paper describes the positive changes that the NOPs programme supports regarding
child protection skills, as well as the value that NOPs perceive in incorporating male
therapists and male offenders into the process. However, the impact on recidivism and
reduction of further harm to children are yet to be fully investigated and these are identified as
being central questions for the service in order to ensure that it offers a valid and reliable
intervention programme.
This issue concludes with two brief papers. The first paper by Kewley provides a short
review paper outlining current police risk assessment and management practice in the
UK when working with those convic ted of sexual offence s. The newly impleme nted Active
Risk Management S ystem tool used by poli ce across England and Wa les is introduced.
DOI 10.1108/JFP-08-2017-0031 VOL. 19 NO. 4 2017, pp. 245-246, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2050-8794
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Editorial
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