Search results for ‘Subject term:"mentally disordered offenders"’ Sort:
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The Good Thinking! course — developing a group-based treatment for people with learning disabilities who are at risk of offending
- Authors:
- GOODMAN Wendy, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Learning Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, 2(3), 2011, pp.114-121.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Offender treatment programmes are often inaccessible to those with learning disabilities, which may mean those convicted of offences may receive no offender treatment. This paper describes the development of the “Good Thinking!” course, a group-based offender treatment programme designed to help address this need. It aims to inform and encourage clinicians and commissioners working in this field to increase the availability of specialist community-based treatments for offenders who have learning disabilities. The course comprises 23 two-hour sessions run once a week in a community setting. Based on the premise that people who commit offences are often trying to meet ordinary life goals through anti-social means, it aims to help participants identify and understand their goals, develop the social skills necessary, and teaches a problem-solving strategy for more complex problems. A description of the course and a case study are provided. However, to date, insufficient data have been produced to enable a formal evaluation of the effectiveness of the course.
Treatment need and provision in medium secure care
- Authors:
- DAVIES Jason, OLDFIELD Kate
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Forensic Practice, 11(2), July 2009, pp.24-31.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Individuals being treated in medium secure hospitals have typically engaged in some form of offending in other service settings or while in the community. Although psychological treatment for addressing such behaviour in medium secure hospitals is beginning to be developed, at present there is a lack of evidence of ‘what works’. This paper reports a review of the type and level of offending behaviour engaged in by those in a single medium secure service, including the conviction histories for such behaviours and the psychological approaches to risk reduction and offending behaviour taken in medium secure hospitals in England and Wales. The need to develop an evidence base for psychological treatment in medium secure services including at the individual level is clearly indicated.
What do social workers need to know about mental health courts?
- Authors:
- HODGES John Q., ANDERSON Kim M.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Mental Health, 4(2), 2005, pp.17-30.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Mental health courts are an emerging strategy to engage mentally ill offenders in treatment and to avoid unnecessary incarceration in the United States. These courts began in 1997 based upon the drug court model; there are currently over 70 courts nationwide. These courts are heterogeneous in structure, work with interdisciplinary teams, and seek to engage the consumer in treatment rather than use judicial sanctions. Social workers are integral members of these teams; yet, no research has been published in social work journals on mental health courts. This article explains the background and context of the courts, describes their features, discusses what social workers need to know about mental health courts, and concludes with ideas for how social workers may work effectively with mental health courts. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Impressions of US forensic services
- Author:
- COLLINS Sharon
- Journal article citation:
- Changes an International Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy, 11(2), June 1993, pp.111-114.
Brief notes from an eight-week study tour of facilities in the USA for mentally disordered offenders.
The mentally disordered in prison
- Author:
- GROUNDS Adrian
- Journal article citation:
- Prison Service Journal, 81, Winter 1990, pp.29-40.
- Publisher:
- Her Majesty's Prison Service of England and Wales
Looks at the historical background, the current use and effectiveness of the Mental Health Act 1983, and outlines future prospects, particularly in the light of proposed reforms in the NHS and the recent scrutiny of the Prison Medical Service.
A therapeutic community for personality disorder in a high secure intellectual disability service: inception and early experiences
- Authors:
- TAYLOR Jon, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 6(4), 2012, pp.165-170.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article explains the reasons for use of a therapeutic community for personality disorder in a high secure intellectual disability service. While no findings are reported, it describes the rationale for, and early experiences of, a therapeutic community intervention for people with mild intellectual disability and personality disorder in a high secure setting. The article describes the allocation of staff and patients to the services, and details staff support and training that has been provided. The article concludes by noting that the ‘whole day’ treatment approach of a therapeutic community enabled the interpersonal style of the offenders with a personality disorder to be explored in depth. The peer pressure and feedback that is a feature of therapeutic communities is an effective intervention for offenders with mild learning disabilities.
The violent offender treatment programme: service user consultation and evaluation
- Authors:
- STEWART Sally, OLDFIELD Abigail, BRAHAM Louise
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Forensic Practice, 14(2), 2012, pp.138-149.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The Violent Offender Treatment Programme (VOTP) is a cognitive programme which aims to reduce risk of recidivism of mentally disordered offenders. However, the examination of service user feedback in relation to mental health service provision and violence risk has not been conducted. In this study, interviews were held with seven service users' to ascertain their experiences of the VOTP within a high secure psychiatric hospital. Results highlighted four broad themes: consistency; learning and application; the group experience; and programme structure. Participants held positive views of the VOTP. They could relate to the material covered and felt this had enhanced their ability to manage violence and aggression. Recommendations to improve the programme included simplifying programme material, maintaining patient motivation, and ensuring effective communication. The authors concluded that the findings may be beneficial to other treatment programmes for violence in similar settings.
An idiographic examination of patient progress in the treatment of dangerous and severe personality disorder: a reliable change index approach
- Authors:
- DRAYCOTT Simon, KIRKPATRICK Tim, ASKARI Roxanna
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology (The), 23(1), February 2012, pp.108-124.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The aim of the Broadmoor Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) project is the assessment of the effectiveness of different treatment approaches with patients considered untreatable such as dangerous offenders with personality disorders. This paper presents outcomes for a small pilot sample of patients in the DSPD unit over their first two years of treatment. Participants included 29 offenders where had been resident in Broadmoor for at least 21 months. To assess the effectiveness of the treatment provided within the Broadmoor DSPD pilot unit in terms of risk reduction and clinical indicators of improvement, routine assessment data were collected for each patient on a six-monthly basis. Across the sample, for some there appeared to be a trend towards improved scores on one measure of violence risk, with few signs of deterioration. However, the largest group of patients showed no change on any measure. The authors concluded that this was an important negative outcome given the expense associated with the provision of treatment.
The way back: a reasoned and data based approach to increasing community access for sex offenders during and post treatment
- Authors:
- STEVENSON Brandie, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Learning Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, 2(2), 2011, pp.63-71.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Community-based programmes for people with learning disabilities have to decide the conditions under which those in treatment will be able to enter the community. This paper presents how a Community Trust programme, first described theoretically in 1996, will work in practice. From the moment treatment begins, data will be collected relating to how individuals will be able to access the community. Therapists will be able to make decisions on that access, based on data not opinion. Two case examples demonstrate the principles of the trust programme. Community trust for individuals who have engaged in serious, dangerous, or criminal behaviours is a serious issue and therefore must be a well thought out process, and also needs to be data based. The paper shows how community-based treatment programmes give individuals real life opportunities to practice skills in a safe setting and thus transfer what is learned in therapeutic sessions to community application.
Understanding personality disorders: your guide to today’s mental health issues
- Author:
- BURNS Tom
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Today, July 2010, pp.21-23.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
The understanding, identification, assessment and treatment of people with a personality disorder remains an area where there is little theoretical agreement and a relative paucity of comprehensive and useful research and data. This briefing paper describes this patient group, highlights some of the challenges in trying to engage with these individuals, and provides some messages about organising services to best meet their needs. People with a personality order rarely belong to any single category of disorder, but into one of 3 broad clusters: cluster A (‘odd or eccentric’); cluster B (‘dramatic, emotional or erratic’); or cluster C (‘anxious or fearful’). The article provides advice for staff working with patients with personality disorders and considers the best methods of treatment. It also looks at personality disorders in offenders, as 66% of the prison population suffer from a personality disorder as opposed to 5.3% of the general population. The article concludes that the needs of people with a personality disorder are diverse and complex, which puts wide ranging and challenging demands on health and social care professionals.