Reviews : Group Work with Offenders
| Author | Rhonda Fleming,Andrew Wade |
| Published date | 01 March 1994 |
| Date | 01 March 1994 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/026455059404100117 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
43
time
to
achieve
a
significant
and
lasting
change
in
the
attitudes
and
behaviour
of
clients.
As
a
result
of
my
misgivings
about
manuals
per
se,
combined
with
the
fact
that
I
have
no
’specialist’
knowledge
of
working
with
sex
offenders,
I
embarked
upon
this
review
with
some
trepidation.
I
anticipated
that
I
would
be
bogged
down
in
a
quagmire
of
political
and
philosophical
correctness
-
there
is
a
considerable
amount
of
both,
but
it
is
not
overly
pious
or
precocious
in
its
content
or
tone,
and
the
issues
of
race,
gender,
and
sexual
orientation
of
group
members
and
staff
are
all
given
due
consideration.
I
am
not
sure
whether
manuals
are
intended
to
be
read
from
page
1
to
302
m
a
sequential
fashion,
but
it
is
written
following
a
logical
progression,
and
I
worked
systematically
through
sections
entitled
issues
for
workers;
the
work
in
context;
methods,
exercises
and
evaluation;
1991;
and
concluding
themes,
which
are
accompamed
by
appendices
and
a
comprhensive
bibliography.
When
I
had
finished
my
reaction
was
similar
to
that
of
having
watched
Geoff
Boycott
score
a
century -
a
worthy
effort,
technically
correct,
but
lacking
in
memorable
shots
and
flare.
Boycott’s
application
and
dedication
to
his
task
did,
however,
make
him
one
of
the
most
prolific
run-scorers
of
all
times.
As
a
groupwork
practitioner,
I
was
interested
to
read
the
section
dealing
with
’work
methods
and
exercises’.
The
writers
acknowledge
their
debt
to
Priestley
and
McGuire,
although
the
latter’s
name
is
consistently
misspelt
throughout
the
manual.
’Blame
Cakes’,
’Picture
Stories’,
and
’Risky
Situations’
exercises
have
been
the
staple
diet
of
traditional
cognitive
therapeutic
approaches
to
working
with
a
range
of
offenders
for
a
number
of
years,
and
the
Nottinghamshire
programme
adapts
these
for
its
own
purposes.
Some
psychodramatic
techniques
are
also
used,
particularly
in
relation
to
victim
empathy
issues.
In
the
light
of
my
earlier
allusions
to
DIY,
I
hope
that
this
programme
is
not
used
as
a
’Teach Yourself
Working
with
Sex
Offenders’
book.
Buying
the
manual
and
’doing
it
yourself
may
very
well
court
disaster.
It
would
seem
wise
that
appropriate
training
should
precede,
and
then
accompany,
any
introduction
of
this
work
into
other
settings.
It
reqmres
litthe
ingenuity
to
drop
a
boulder
into
a
pond;
the
real
skill
is
in
dealing
with
what
comes
to
the
surface.
Philip
Moore
Probation
Officer
West
Cumbria
Probation
Resource
Centre
Group
Work
with
Offenders
Allan
Brown
&
Brian
Caddick
(eds)
Whiting
and
Birch,
1993;
£14.95
pbk
Group
work
with
offenders
reflects
the
wide
variety
of
group
work
practised
under
the
auspices
of
the
Probation
Service.
The
aim
of
the
book
is
to
chart
current
activity
and
to
reflect
on
the
context
and
issues.
The
editors
argue
that
despite
the
long
tradition
of
group
work
in
Probation,
there
has
been
little
academic
discussion of
the
models,
values,
aims
and
characteristics
of
the
work
undertaken.
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