Search results for ‘Subject term:"personality disorders"’ Sort:
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Identifying personality disturbance in a London probation sample
- Authors:
- MINOUDIS Philip, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Probation Journal, 60(1), 2013, pp.23-38.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Personality difficulties can provide challenges for offender management in terms of risk and diagnosis. Despite political emphasis on the need for specialist knowledge of this group in the criminal justice system, no provisions exist for identifying personality disturbance in probation services. In this pilot project mental health professionals collaborated with probation services to develop methods of identifying personality disturbance in a London sample. NHS psychology staff were placed in probation public protection units to help manage high risk offenders and bridge the gap between criminal justice and mental health services. There was a disproportionately large ratio of Black/Black British individuals identified in the study and personality problems were highly prevalent in probation caseloads. The three different sampling methods used identified separate groups of high risk personality disturbed offenders. Demographic, developmental, offence and risk information were presented for the subgroups by sampling method. All the individuals identified carried a high risk of re-offending, based on static risk assessments. Emphasis was given to the importance of using developmental variables to help identify adult personality disturbance. The study revealed a potential gap in the method by which data is collected by the national offender management service, omitting lifer custody cases in their assessment of dangerous and severe personality disorder individuals. Ideas for future research were provided.
An investigation into competency for working with personality disorder and team climate in the probation service
- Authors:
- SHAW Jake, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Probation Journal, 60(1), 2013, pp.39-48.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Personality disorder (PD) is highly prevalent in offender samples. It provides challenges for risk assessment and requires specific staff competencies. Relatively little is currently known about probation staff's competency for working with this group. This study used self report methodologies to investigate probation staff's competency for working with PD, their team climate and the relationship between the two factors. A total of 150 probation staff, drawn from three London boroughs, took part in the study. Probation staff’s competency was not found to be significantly different to that of the comparison group; a sample of voluntary sector housing workers. No significant difference was found between probation public protection unit (PPU) and non-PPU staff or between qualified and unqualified staff. Two facets of team climate were associated with improved competency for working with PD, but probation staff obtained low scores for one of these facets (team vision). The authors conclude that there is a need for staff competency development in this field. However, they note the high scores obtained on the “Support for Innovation” subscale and suggest that probation staff may be particularly receptive to competency development initiatives. A model for improved service delivery is proposed.
"We know about our risks, so we should be asked." A tool to support service user involvement in the risk assessment process in forensic services for people with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- HALL Samantha, DUPEROUZEL Helen
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Learning Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, 2(3), 2011, pp.122-126.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
In England, the involvement of service users in the risk assessment and management process is advocated by the Department of Health. The "Keeping me Safe and Well" screen was developed by Mersey Care NHS as part of a human rights healthcare project to adopt a more participative holistic approach to risk whilst working in partnership with service users. Five service users from a 16-bed, medium secure unit for people with intellectual disabilities and personality disorder participated in the pilot. Personal records were assessed for the level of involvement in the risk assessment process and individual and focus group interviews tested usefulness of the tool. All participants experienced an increased awareness and knowledge of the risk assessment process and human rights issues. The screen helped them focus on their own risk issues and the rights of others. The authors’ concluded that the screen added value to the risk assessment process by engaging service users in the risk process and supporting the adoption of a more participative, holistic approach to risk management.
What is the link between personality disorder and dangerousness? A critique of 'dangerous and severe personality disorder'
- Author:
- HOWARD Rick
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Forensic Practice, 8(4), December 2006, pp.19-23.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article review the medico-legal background to the development of the pilot programme for treatment and assessment of dangerous individuals with severe personality disorder. It raises the question: is personality disorder related to dangerousness, and (if so) what mediates the relationship? It then reviews recent findings suggestion that patients deemed to be dangerous and severely personality disorders are characterised by a combination of antisocial and borderline traits, and as such are a source of distress both to themselves and to others. It is recommended that the current criteria for 'dangerous and severe personality disorder' be dispensed with.
A community service for high-risk mentally disordered sex offenders
- Authors:
- CRAISSATI Jackie, BLUNDELL Rachel
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28(6), 2013, pp.1178-1200.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This article provides a descriptive account of a specialist community assessment and treatment service (the Challenge project) for high-risk mentally disordered sex offenders in southeast London. It draws on various measures of personality dysfunction, including key developmental variables, a self-report personality disorder questionnaire Millon Clinical Multi-axial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) and psychopathy as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV), to describe the characteristics of the cohort of mentally disordered sex offenders. Follow-up data for those placed in treatment are reported and include consideration of treatment completion and reconviction: the relationship between personality dysfunction and a dynamic measure of risk are also explored. Of the 137 participants, 53% were placed in the community treatment project. Seventy five percent completed treatment, and were followed up for an average of 40 months. Eleven percent were sexually reconvicted, 3% violently reconvicted. Community failure was best predicted by a combination of static risk and personality-related variables. (Edited publisher abstract)
Assessing high risk offenders with personality disorder
- Author:
- GREENALL Paul V.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Forensic Practice, 11(3), September 2009, pp.14-18.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Personality disorder was once a ‘diagnosis of exclusion’ and therefore many people, including offenders, were unable to access appropriate care. One initiative to address this problem and reduce official anxieties was the setting up of three specialist multi-disciplinary Forensic Personality Disorder Assessment and Liaison Teams in the northwest of England. The role of these teams is to assess high-risk offenders with personality disorder and provide a gate keeping and monitoring function to agencies involved in their care and management. This paper outlines the work of the Greater Manchester team. This team comprises a psychiatrist, a psychiatric nurse and two psychologists. The author concludes that the experience of providing detailed forensic assessments to other professionals has illustrated the benefits of multi-agency working in this area, and that multi-agency working is essential if high-risk offenders with personality disorder are to be managed successfully when they return to the community.
The clinical and risk characteristics of patients admitted to a secure hospital-based Dangerous and Severe Personality unit
- Authors:
- SHELDON Kerry, KRISHNAN Gopi
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Forensic Practice, 11(3), September 2009, pp.19-27.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Four high secure units at HMP Whitemoor, HMP Frankland, Broadmoor Hospital and Rampton Hospital were set up in order to deal with patients with severe personality disorder who pose a risk to the public. This paper describes the clinical and risk characteristics of patients admitted over the first four years of operation of the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder NHS pilot at the Peaks Unit, Rampton Secure Hospital. There were 124 referrals, mainly from Category A and B prisons, resulting in 68 admissions. Clinically, 29% scored 30 or more on the Psychopathy Checklist. The most common personality disorders were antisocial, borderline, paranoid and narcissistic. The patients also exhibited a high risk of violent and sexual recidivism. The authors conclude that it is too soon to come to a view about the effectiveness of the treatment offered, although a primary aim of the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder service will be to establish the impact of treatment on the risk posed by the patients.
The impact of structured risk assessments followed by management recommendations on aggression in patients with personality disorder
- Authors:
- DAFFERN Michael, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology (The), 20(5), October 2009, pp.661-679.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study tested the proposition that structured risk assessments followed immediately by the risk assessment results and recommendations for management can reduce the frequency of aggression in high-risk personality-disordered patients. The study included three phases during which aggressive behaviour was recorded: (a) baseline, (b) daily risk assessment using the Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression (DASA) and HCR-20 Clinical Scale, and (c) daily DASA risk assessment followed by risk assessment results and risk management recommendations. Following the third phase a staff survey was conducted to measure the clinical utility of the DASA and the risk management recommendations. Results revealed no significant difference in the frequency of aggression between the three phases. The staff survey revealed varied reactions to the DASA and to the utility of the risk assessment results and management recommendations. Possible reasons for the limited impact of the DASA and opportunities for future research are discussed.
Sexual offending and mental health: multidisciplinary management in the community
- Editors:
- HOUSTON Julia, GALLOWAY Sarah, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- Jessica Kingsley
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 288p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The contributors describe current influential models of sexual offending and the developmental, psychological and social factors involved. They discuss the prevalence of personality and mental disorders in known sex offenders and the impact these disorders have on their treatment and management. They describe clinical work with individuals, their partners and families, and also consider the impact of this work on professionals. The book includes an outline of current approaches to risk assessment, an overview of the recent changes in legislation in England and Wales, and suggestions for multi-disciplinary management in the community.
Risk, dangerousness and the DSPD unit
- Author:
- SEDDON Toby
- Journal article citation:
- Prison Service Journal, 177, May 2008, pp.27-31.
- Publisher:
- Her Majesty's Prison Service of England and Wales
The author examines the terms of 'risk' and 'dangerousness' in the context of the two prison-based dangerous people with severe personality disorders (DSPD) units in Whitemoor and Frankland.