The challenges of working with sexual offenders who have autism in secure services

Published date13 March 2017
Pages41-54
Date13 March 2017
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JIDOB-10-2016-0020
AuthorShaunagh MacDonald,Jane Clarbour,Clare Whitton,Kelly Rayner
Subject MatterHealth & social care,Learning & intellectual disabilities,Offending behaviour,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Education,Special education/gifted education,Emotional/behavioural disorders
The challenges of working with
sexual offenders who have autism
in secure services
Shaunagh MacDonald, Jane Clarbour, Clare Whitton and Kelly Rayner
Abstract
Purpose Previous literature has reported that working with sexual offenders can impact staff negatively
(Hatcher and Noakes, 2010). In addition, working with individuals with intellectual disability also appears
to be challenging. There are benefits stated of working with sexual offenders and the purpose of this paper is
to seek to highlight the challenges and positive experiences of staff members working with sexual offenders
who have autism.
Design/methodology/approach As working with this population has not been previously investigated, a
semi-structured interview was conducted to explore the challenges and benefits of working with this
population. Eight participants were interviewed who work on the autism specialist ward at a forensic secure
hospital in the UK.
Findings Template analysis identified three master themes: mediating factors, challenges and
consequences, which were incorporated into the Model of Person-Organisation Wellbeing (M-POW).
The findings show the specific challenges of working with a population that has not been previously studied.
Research limitations/implications The study utilised a small, heterogeneous self-selecting sample from
one clinical site.
Practical implications Findings suggest there are a number of specific challenges this staff group face,
and steps that can be taken at the personal and organisational level to mediate these. Recommendations are
made for how staff are supported in their work from recruitment and induction onwards.
Originality/value The M-POW highlights mediating factors that can be adjusted to develop more effective
coping strategies for working in what, for some, is a challenging environment. This model provides a
framework that can be adopted by organisations to ensure that the likelihood of their staff experiencing
negative feelings is reduced and also suggests future avenues of research.
Keywords Autism, Forensic, Intellectual disabilities, Staff, Secure services, Sexual offender
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Working with sexual offenders
The impact of working therapeutically with sexual offenders has been widely explored, with
inconclusive results. Such research has investigated the main causes of stress and burnout
amongst staff, and has reported how little attention is paid at the organisational level (Moulden
and Firestone, 2010). A recent literature review investigated secondary trauma, such as burnout,
in clinicians who work with sexual offenders (Elwood et al., 2011) concluding that the findings are
equivocal and more research is needed.
Increasingly, research has documented the effect of burnout as a direct result of working with
sexual offenders on a daily basis. For example, Lee et al. (2010) found that individuals working
with sexual offenders experienced significantly more burnout and negative emotionality than
general mental health professionals. Further, it was found that 24 per cent of staff had moderate
to severe stress attributed to their work with sexual offenders (Kadambi and Truscott, 2003).
Received 26 October 2016
Revised 20 December 2016
Accepted 21 December 2016
Shaunagh MacDonald is a MSc
Student and Jane Clarbour is a
Senior Lecturer, both at the
Department of Psychology,
University of York, York, UK.
Clare Whitton is Clinical
Psychologist at Learning
Disability Forensic Service,
Tees Esk and Wear Valleys
NHS Foundation Trust,
Middlesbrough, UK.
Kelly Rayner is Clinical
Psychologist at Learning
Disability Forensic Service,
Tees Esk and Wear Valleys
NHS Foundation Trust,
Knaresborough, UK.
DOI 10.1108/JIDOB-10-2016-0020 VOL. 8 NO.1 2017, pp. 41-54, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN2050-8824
j
JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR
j
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