Tackling Racist Offending: A Generalised Or Targeted Approach?
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050204900303 |
| Date | 01 September 2002 |
| Published date | 01 September 2002 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
205
Tackling Racist
Offending: A Generalised
Or Targeted Approach?
Liz Dixon discusses the development of programmes for racist and
racially motivated offenders with particular reference to the targeted
programme developed in London. She examines the Accreditation
Panel’s recent decision to recommend the use of generalised cognitive
behavioural programmes with this group, arguing that this takes
insufficient account of existing evidence and the complex challenges
of racist offending.
Previous articles in this Journal have
reflected on issues and dilemmas
associated with work with racist and
racially motivated offenders (Ray et al,
2002; MacDonald 2000; Dixon and
Okitikpi, 1999; Edwards, 1999). This
article explores recent attempts to develop
structured intervention programmes to
challenge racist offending. The author has
been part of a (now disbanded) national
sub-group of the Accreditation Panel set up
to investigate and produce a programme of
intervention with racially motivated
offenders (RMOs). This article will
therefore incorporate a personal perspective
on this process, reflecting on the ability of
the National Probation Directorate (NPD)
and the Accreditation Panel to nurture this
relatively new area of professional practice
in the face of wider political and
organisational priorities.
It will also consider the results of a
review of literature on racist and racially
motivated offenders commissioned by the
sub-group. This review was intended to
guide the approach to practice and policy
development, but, it will be argued, the
outcome of this research has not been fully
taken into account.
The subsequent theory manual
highlighted the need to pilot programmes to
explore different approaches. Although the
NPD is tentatively proposing that different
pathways be tried “if resources permit”
(NPS, 2002, para.8/03), it is recommending
that racially motivated offenders be
allocated to generalised one-to-one
programmes in the interim so that the
impact of such programmes can be
measured (ibid).
The correlation between significant
wider research on racist offending (e.g.
Hewitt 1996, Sibbitt 1997 and Ray et al
2002) and the practice materials developed
will be examined with particular reference
to the London one-to-one programme,
which the author has been developing on
behalf of the London Probation Area.
It should be stressed at the outset that
this article is not intended as a piece of
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