The ability to take the perspectives of others is considered a prerequisite for effective interpe... more The ability to take the perspectives of others is considered a prerequisite for effective interpersonal interaction. Despite extensive investigation into the correlates of perspective taking, there have been few previous attempts to understand the process by which people take another's psychological point of view. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify the strategies used by individuals when attempting to take the perspective of another person. Twelve participants discussed a time they engaged in perspective taking. The analysis revealed that perspective taking was used in situations in which significant negative emotions could arise, and that participants shifted between the use of self-information (e.g., switching places, past experience) and other-information (e.g., target's personal characteristics) during the process of perspective taking. Different emotions and cognitions were associated with taking one's own perspective and taking that of the other person. The study provides a direct consideration of an under-investigated component of social and personal relationships.
Although a large number of studies offer consistent and persuasive evidence that exposure to chil... more Although a large number of studies offer consistent and persuasive evidence that exposure to childhood maltreatment and subsequent juvenile offending behaviours are related, relatively few studies have investigated the mechanisms by which maltreatment might increase risk in young offender populations. The aim of this pilot study was to collate data on the key areas of need from 28 young male offenders in secure care in an Australian jurisdiction, with a specific focus on the interrelationship between scores on self-report measures of maltreatment, trauma, and mental health. The findings provide preliminary evidence that these key constructs are linked to other proximal risk factors for juvenile offending, such as poor anger regulation and antisocial thinking patterns. They offer a rationale for considering the sequelae of maltreatment in the development of service delivery frameworks for young offenders.
The Office of the Guardian for Children and Young People promotes and protects the rights of chil... more The Office of the Guardian for Children and Young People promotes and protects the rights of children and young people under the age of 18 years under the guardianship, or in the custody of the Minister for Families and Communities. The position of Guardian was established in an amendment to the Children's Protection Act 1993 proclaimed on 1 February 2006. Young people in custody for remand or detention, by nature of their captivity, are highly vulnerable to the philosophy, policy and practice of youth justice as expressed in their immediate social and physical environment. In South Australia there are two youth training centres, at Cavan and Magill in Adelaide. I have previously reported on the inadequacy of the physical infrastructure of the Magill Youth Training Centre. Both centres are now to be replaced in 2010 with a combined improved facility. The Youth Justice Directorate in Families SA, Department for Families and Communities, is undergoing significant reform including reiterating their primary role in rehabilitation. Programmes provided to young people who have offended are critical to reducing the likelihood of re-offending. To my knowledge there had been no independent review of programmes available in secure custody in South Australia and I had heard mixed views on the quality of programmes on offer.
This article reviews current knowledge about how the tendency to reflect on personal experience i... more This article reviews current knowledge about how the tendency to reflect on personal experience is related to the tendency to take another's perspective. While it is well established that self-reflection leads to a greater understanding of one's own emotions, cognitions, and behaviours, the extent to which it is associated with understanding others is less well understood, despite the implications of this for the development of more effective interventions to improve empathy. The types of self-reflection that are used in clinical and psychotherapeutic interventions are used to illustrate the possibilities here, and ways in which clinicians may increase their own self-reflection are also considered.
This report provides a methodology to assess the outcomes of rehabilitation programs that are del... more This report provides a methodology to assess the outcomes of rehabilitation programs that are delivered to young offenders in South Australia. A method of assessing change is described that can be applied across a number of different programs, but is illustrated in relation to one particular program, the PLUS+ program. PLUS+ is a group-based cognitive skills program which employs cognitive-behavioural methods of problem-solving, skills-training, and self-management to rehabilitate young offenders. It is one of the most intensive and best established programs to have been implemented in South Australia. Based on a review of this program a number of recommendations are made to enhance the future delivery and evaluation of PLUS+.
This manual has been written to guide the assessment of change in each of the programs currently ... more This manual has been written to guide the assessment of change in each of the programs currently offered by the Offending Behaviour Programs Branch, Corrections Victoria. The aim is to identify a set of outcome measures that can be used to both evaluate the overall effectiveness of a program as well as inform judgements about the changes that individual offenders have made over the course of their program participation. Accordingly, the focus is on the assessment of short-term change and not on other areas of assessment, such as assessing changes in risk of reoffending, identifying intervention needs, or establishing an offender’s suitability or eligibility to take part in a program.
Caution: Some people may find parts of this content confronting or distressing. Creative Commons ... more Caution: Some people may find parts of this content confronting or distressing. Creative Commons Licence Attribution-Non Commercial This licence lets others distribute, remix and build upon the work, but only if it is for non-commercial purposes and they credit the original creator/s (and any other nominated parties). Version 3.0 (CC Australia ported licence) Please note that there is the potential for minor revisions of this paper. Please check the online version at www.anrows.org.au for any amendment.
Having sought 22 clinicians’ views of how rehabilitation was practised in a forensic mental healt... more Having sought 22 clinicians’ views of how rehabilitation was practised in a forensic mental health service, this study explores whether or not these views are consistent with claims that forensic rehabilitation can be hampered by the lack of a coherent rehabilitation framework. Two major, mutually influencing themes emerged from the participants’ narratives, the first of which delineates the culture and functioning of individuals and systems in a forensic service and the underlying philosophies and beliefs guiding professional behaviour. The second theme outlines the participants’ views of the ways in which client needs are assessed and how clients are subsequently provided with the skills and opportunities required for their rehabilitation. The results indicate that while the participants perceived that there were positive aspects to the forensic mental health care that was provided; they also stated that systematicity in the formulation and provision of forensic mental health clients’ needs was lacking. These findings reinforce previous claims that there needs to be a theoretically sound means of embedding and systematising effective rehabilitation practice in forensic services.
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 2018
The current study examined the impact of vocational education and training in the custody setting... more The current study examined the impact of vocational education and training in the custody setting on returns to custody among Australian adult prisoners from selected jurisdictions. Vocational education and training, education, and behavioural change programme participation in custody and demographic and risk assessment data were provided by correctional services in four Australian states for 10,834 Australian prisoners released from custody in 2010–2011. This information was used to predict returns to custody by 2015–2016. Overall, the results showed that participating in vocational education and training in custody contributed to the likelihood of remaining custody free at two and five years post-release for both male and female prisoners. However, for males the relationship was moderated by risk level. These findings are discussed in the context of developing vocational education and training in prison settings to address the specific needs of individuals and expectation of the w...
The majority of incarcerated sexual offenders will one-day return to the community. While a great... more The majority of incarcerated sexual offenders will one-day return to the community. While a great proportion are likely to have participated in a custodial offence-specific treatment program, knowing what happens to this "acquired" knowledge and skill once they are released and how this influences the desistance process remains unclear. Research on offender rehabilitation often focuses on the efficacy of custodial treatment interventions for offenders, while studies examining post-release programs for offenders has some untapped potential. Further to this, an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings for any community maintenance-type programs for offenders remains relatively untouched in the offender rehabilitation literature. Thus, this paper attempts to explore some of the potential theoretical underpinnings for community maintenance programs for sexual offenders. Consideration will be given to the definition of such programs, some of the theories that may inform these programs, and the incorporation of desistance theory into maintenance programs.
and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study pu... more and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
Although the need to assess appropriate candidates for offender rehabilitation programs is widely... more Although the need to assess appropriate candidates for offender rehabilitation programs is widely acknowledged, few assessment tools are available that have been validated for use with offender populations. This article reports on the development and validation of a brief self-report measure designed to assess treatment readiness in offenders who have been referred to a cognitive skills program. The measure, the Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire, displayed acceptable levels of convergent and discriminant validity, and was able to predict treatment engagement and treatment performance at the midpoint of the program. Suggested cutoff points are reported for use in assessing offenders for this type of program. It is concluded that the measure can play a valuable role in the assessment of offenders who are being considered for rehabilitative treatment.
The ability to take the perspectives of others is considered a prerequisite for effective interpe... more The ability to take the perspectives of others is considered a prerequisite for effective interpersonal interaction. Despite extensive investigation into the correlates of perspective taking, there have been few previous attempts to understand the process by which people take another's psychological point of view. The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify the strategies used by individuals when attempting to take the perspective of another person. Twelve participants discussed a time they engaged in perspective taking. The analysis revealed that perspective taking was used in situations in which significant negative emotions could arise, and that participants shifted between the use of self-information (e.g., switching places, past experience) and other-information (e.g., target's personal characteristics) during the process of perspective taking. Different emotions and cognitions were associated with taking one's own perspective and taking that of the other person. The study provides a direct consideration of an under-investigated component of social and personal relationships.
Although a large number of studies offer consistent and persuasive evidence that exposure to chil... more Although a large number of studies offer consistent and persuasive evidence that exposure to childhood maltreatment and subsequent juvenile offending behaviours are related, relatively few studies have investigated the mechanisms by which maltreatment might increase risk in young offender populations. The aim of this pilot study was to collate data on the key areas of need from 28 young male offenders in secure care in an Australian jurisdiction, with a specific focus on the interrelationship between scores on self-report measures of maltreatment, trauma, and mental health. The findings provide preliminary evidence that these key constructs are linked to other proximal risk factors for juvenile offending, such as poor anger regulation and antisocial thinking patterns. They offer a rationale for considering the sequelae of maltreatment in the development of service delivery frameworks for young offenders.
The Office of the Guardian for Children and Young People promotes and protects the rights of chil... more The Office of the Guardian for Children and Young People promotes and protects the rights of children and young people under the age of 18 years under the guardianship, or in the custody of the Minister for Families and Communities. The position of Guardian was established in an amendment to the Children's Protection Act 1993 proclaimed on 1 February 2006. Young people in custody for remand or detention, by nature of their captivity, are highly vulnerable to the philosophy, policy and practice of youth justice as expressed in their immediate social and physical environment. In South Australia there are two youth training centres, at Cavan and Magill in Adelaide. I have previously reported on the inadequacy of the physical infrastructure of the Magill Youth Training Centre. Both centres are now to be replaced in 2010 with a combined improved facility. The Youth Justice Directorate in Families SA, Department for Families and Communities, is undergoing significant reform including reiterating their primary role in rehabilitation. Programmes provided to young people who have offended are critical to reducing the likelihood of re-offending. To my knowledge there had been no independent review of programmes available in secure custody in South Australia and I had heard mixed views on the quality of programmes on offer.
This article reviews current knowledge about how the tendency to reflect on personal experience i... more This article reviews current knowledge about how the tendency to reflect on personal experience is related to the tendency to take another's perspective. While it is well established that self-reflection leads to a greater understanding of one's own emotions, cognitions, and behaviours, the extent to which it is associated with understanding others is less well understood, despite the implications of this for the development of more effective interventions to improve empathy. The types of self-reflection that are used in clinical and psychotherapeutic interventions are used to illustrate the possibilities here, and ways in which clinicians may increase their own self-reflection are also considered.
This report provides a methodology to assess the outcomes of rehabilitation programs that are del... more This report provides a methodology to assess the outcomes of rehabilitation programs that are delivered to young offenders in South Australia. A method of assessing change is described that can be applied across a number of different programs, but is illustrated in relation to one particular program, the PLUS+ program. PLUS+ is a group-based cognitive skills program which employs cognitive-behavioural methods of problem-solving, skills-training, and self-management to rehabilitate young offenders. It is one of the most intensive and best established programs to have been implemented in South Australia. Based on a review of this program a number of recommendations are made to enhance the future delivery and evaluation of PLUS+.
This manual has been written to guide the assessment of change in each of the programs currently ... more This manual has been written to guide the assessment of change in each of the programs currently offered by the Offending Behaviour Programs Branch, Corrections Victoria. The aim is to identify a set of outcome measures that can be used to both evaluate the overall effectiveness of a program as well as inform judgements about the changes that individual offenders have made over the course of their program participation. Accordingly, the focus is on the assessment of short-term change and not on other areas of assessment, such as assessing changes in risk of reoffending, identifying intervention needs, or establishing an offender’s suitability or eligibility to take part in a program.
Caution: Some people may find parts of this content confronting or distressing. Creative Commons ... more Caution: Some people may find parts of this content confronting or distressing. Creative Commons Licence Attribution-Non Commercial This licence lets others distribute, remix and build upon the work, but only if it is for non-commercial purposes and they credit the original creator/s (and any other nominated parties). Version 3.0 (CC Australia ported licence) Please note that there is the potential for minor revisions of this paper. Please check the online version at www.anrows.org.au for any amendment.
Having sought 22 clinicians’ views of how rehabilitation was practised in a forensic mental healt... more Having sought 22 clinicians’ views of how rehabilitation was practised in a forensic mental health service, this study explores whether or not these views are consistent with claims that forensic rehabilitation can be hampered by the lack of a coherent rehabilitation framework. Two major, mutually influencing themes emerged from the participants’ narratives, the first of which delineates the culture and functioning of individuals and systems in a forensic service and the underlying philosophies and beliefs guiding professional behaviour. The second theme outlines the participants’ views of the ways in which client needs are assessed and how clients are subsequently provided with the skills and opportunities required for their rehabilitation. The results indicate that while the participants perceived that there were positive aspects to the forensic mental health care that was provided; they also stated that systematicity in the formulation and provision of forensic mental health clients’ needs was lacking. These findings reinforce previous claims that there needs to be a theoretically sound means of embedding and systematising effective rehabilitation practice in forensic services.
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 2018
The current study examined the impact of vocational education and training in the custody setting... more The current study examined the impact of vocational education and training in the custody setting on returns to custody among Australian adult prisoners from selected jurisdictions. Vocational education and training, education, and behavioural change programme participation in custody and demographic and risk assessment data were provided by correctional services in four Australian states for 10,834 Australian prisoners released from custody in 2010–2011. This information was used to predict returns to custody by 2015–2016. Overall, the results showed that participating in vocational education and training in custody contributed to the likelihood of remaining custody free at two and five years post-release for both male and female prisoners. However, for males the relationship was moderated by risk level. These findings are discussed in the context of developing vocational education and training in prison settings to address the specific needs of individuals and expectation of the w...
The majority of incarcerated sexual offenders will one-day return to the community. While a great... more The majority of incarcerated sexual offenders will one-day return to the community. While a great proportion are likely to have participated in a custodial offence-specific treatment program, knowing what happens to this "acquired" knowledge and skill once they are released and how this influences the desistance process remains unclear. Research on offender rehabilitation often focuses on the efficacy of custodial treatment interventions for offenders, while studies examining post-release programs for offenders has some untapped potential. Further to this, an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings for any community maintenance-type programs for offenders remains relatively untouched in the offender rehabilitation literature. Thus, this paper attempts to explore some of the potential theoretical underpinnings for community maintenance programs for sexual offenders. Consideration will be given to the definition of such programs, some of the theories that may inform these programs, and the incorporation of desistance theory into maintenance programs.
and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study pu... more and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
Although the need to assess appropriate candidates for offender rehabilitation programs is widely... more Although the need to assess appropriate candidates for offender rehabilitation programs is widely acknowledged, few assessment tools are available that have been validated for use with offender populations. This article reports on the development and validation of a brief self-report measure designed to assess treatment readiness in offenders who have been referred to a cognitive skills program. The measure, the Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire, displayed acceptable levels of convergent and discriminant validity, and was able to predict treatment engagement and treatment performance at the midpoint of the program. Suggested cutoff points are reported for use in assessing offenders for this type of program. It is concluded that the measure can play a valuable role in the assessment of offenders who are being considered for rehabilitative treatment.
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