Freya Vander Laenen

“Recovery Came First”: Desistance versus Recovery in the Criminal Careers of Drug-Using Offenders

The aim of our paper is to gain insight in the desistance process of drug-using offenders. We explore the components of change in the desistance process of drug-using offenders by using the cognitive transformation theory of Giordano et al. as a theoretical framework. The desistance process of drug-using offenders entails a two-fold process: desistance of criminal offending and recovery. The results however indicate that desistance is subordinate to recovery because of the fact that drug-using offenders especially see themselves as drug users and not as “criminals.” Their first goal was to start recovery from drug use. They were convinced that recovery from drug use would lead them to a stop in their offending. In the discussion, we explore the implications of this result for further research.

The role and experiences of family members during the rehabilitation of mentally ill offenders.

Taking care of a family member with a mental illness imposes a burden on various aspects of family life. This burden may be enhanced if the mentally ill individual has a criminal history. This paper aims to summarize the scientific literature dealing with the experiences, needs and burdens of families of mentally ill offenders. We aim to explore the roles that family members play in the rehabilitation of their relative and review the families’ needs and burdens. Finally, we aim to investigate whether or not the family strengths are considered in the literature. A literature search in line with the PRISMA statement for systematic reviews and with the recommendations for an integrative review was performed in the ISI Web of Science, PubMed, Elsevier Science Direct and ProQuest databases. Limited research has been carried out into the experiences, needs and burdens of families of mentally ill offenders, with only eight studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Families of mentally ill offenders experience more stress than those of mentally ill individuals with no judicial involvement. This is because of the fact that these family members have to deal with both mental health services and judicial systems. The eight retrieved studies focus on needs and burdens, with little reference to strengths or capabilities. The review has highlighted the need for further research into the needs and burdens of families with mentally ill offenders, with a focus on strengths rather than an exclusively problem-oriented perspective. It is important that families become more involved in the health and social care of their relatives to avoid being considered ‘second patients’.

The Impact of Drug Treatment Courts on Recovery: A Systematic Review

Introduction. Earlier reviews regarding the effectiveness of Drug Treatment Courts (DTCs) reported a reduction in reoffending and substance use. Although substance users suffer from other difficulties than drug use and judicial issues, none of these reviews focused on outcomes or effects of DTCs on drug-related life domains, such as social relationships, employment, or health. Therefor, the present paper aims to review the impact of adult DTCs on substance use and drug-related life domains. Method. Primary studies were systematically searched in Web of Knowledge. Observational and controlled evaluation studies of adult DTCs were considered eligible if substance use and/or drug-related life domains were measured. Results. Moderately positive results were found with respect to within-program substance use. Few studies used drug-related life domains as an outcome measure and most of them yielded no effects. Employment and family relations ameliorated when specific interventions were used. Discussion. DTCs yield beneficial outcomes and effects regarding within-program substance use. However, evidence regarding the impact of DTCs on post-program drug and alcohol use and on other drug-related life domains is scarce. These life domains and thus QoL possibly can be improved by DTCs if specifically targeted. Future research is warranted.

Not just another focus group: making the case for the nominal group technique in criminology

BackgroundThe Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is seldom applied in criminological research. This article explores the potential of NGT as a tool for criminological research.MethodsNGT is a highly structured technique combining characteristics of an individual survey and a focus group.ResultsIt offers various benefits: 1) it limits researcher influence and influence from group dynamics; 2) increases the likelihood of equal participation for all group members; 3) affords equal influence to (conflicting) values and ideas; 4) can be used in an exploratory (phase of a) study as well as to generate hypotheses about topics that are unfamiliar to the researcher; and 5) is useful for determining the ideas of a research population that is socially or culturally different from that of the researcher.ConclusionsNGT is particularly relevant in applied research as a decision-making tool and as a consensus method. It also holds promise as an online tool for criminological research focused on sensitive topics where participants take part anonymously.

Treatment satisfaction and quality of support in outpatient substitution treatment: opiate users’ experiences and perspectives

Abstract Aims: Patient-reported outcomes have become an important source of information to guide service provision. Although opiate substitution treatment (OST) is an evidence-based and widely available intervention for opiate dependent individuals, evaluation studies have primarily focused on objective outcome indicators rather than on clients’ perspectives and personal experiences. This study aims to assess opiate users’ satisfaction with various aspects of substitution treatment and their subjective experiences and expectations regarding the provision of psychosocial support. Methods: The study sample consisted of 77 opiate-dependent individuals who had been involved in OST for at least three months in some cities in Belgium. Qualitative interviews were used to explore clients’ subjective experiences, in addition to some quantitative measures. Findings: About half of the respondents recently received some form of psychosocial support and they were generally satisfied about these services. However, the number of persons who wanted psychosocial support clearly outnumbered those actually receiving these services. Respondents stressed the importance of building trusting relationships with OST staff. Also, the need for more flexible and individualised support was emphasised. Conclusions: Compared with other stakeholders’ perspectives or traditional outcome indicators, service users’ subjective experiences shed an alternative light on the impact of opiate dependence and OST on individuals’ daily lives. This information should be incorporated in individual treatment planning and when designing and evaluating OST services.

Mental health in juvenile judges' decision-making: Review of literature

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the (strength of the) association between mental health aspects in juvenile offenders and the decision-making process of the juvenile judge. In particular, the presence of a mental disorder in the juvenile offender, the presence of a mental health report, and the mental health orientation of the juvenile judge were studied. METHODS A literature review was performed in order to identify relevant studies on the basis of three selection criteria: (i) the decision-making process of the juvenile judge concerning juvenile offenders, (ii) the use of quantitative methodology and (iii) the focus on the three mental health aspects. RESULTS Eight studies were found to meet the criteria (n=4318). The association between a mental disorder in the juvenile offender, a mental health report, and the decision of the juvenile judge was rather strong. There was no evidence of an association between mental health orientation of the juvenile judge and his/her decision. DISCUSSION Mental health aspects seem to be associated with the decision-making process of the juvenile judge. Future research should further examine the association between these aspects and the decision of the juvenile judge, particularly in the subgroup of juvenile offenders with mental disorders.

Public spending for illegal drug and alcohol treatment in hospitals: an EU cross-country comparison

BackgroundIn view of the current economic crisis and the resulting austerity measures being implemented by governments across Europe, public expenditure for substance abuse treatment has increasingly become a subject of discussion. An EU cross-country comparison would allow an estimation of the total amount of public resources spent on substance abuse treatment, compare various substance abuse treatment funding options, and evaluate the division of expenditures between alcohol and illegal drugs. The purpose of this study is to estimate the public spending of EU countries for alcohol and illegal drug abuse treatment in hospitals.MethodsOur study uses a uniform methodology in order to enable valid cross-national comparisons. Our data are drawn from the Eurostat database, which provides anno 2010 data on government spending for the treatment of illegal drug and alcohol abuse in 21 EU member states. The cross-country comparison is restricted to hospitals, since data were unavailable for other types of treatment providers. The systematic registration of in- and outpatient data is essential to monitoring public expenditures on substance abuse treatment using international databases.ResultsTotal public spending for hospital-based treatment of illegal drug and alcohol abuse in the 21 EU member states studied is estimated to be 7.6 billion euros. Per capita expenditures for treatment of illegal drug abuse vary, ranging from 0.1 euros in Romania to 13 euros in Sweden. For alcohol abuse, that figure varied from 0.9 euros in Bulgaria to 24 euros in Austria. These results confirm other studies indicating that public expenditures for alcohol treatment exceed that for illegal drug treatment.ConclusionsMultiple factors may influence the number of hospital days for alcohol or illegal substance abuse treatment, and expenditures fluctuate accordingly. In this respect, we found a strong correlation between gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and public expenditures per hospital day. The prevalence of problematic (illegal or legal) drug use in a country did not correlate significantly with the number of hospital days. Other factors must be included in the analysis of public expenditures for the treatment of substance abuse, such as the drug policy in a given country and the social norms regarding alcohol consumption.

'Mr Police Officer, I thought cannabis was legal': introducing new policy regarding cannabis in Belgium: a story of good intentions and Babel

Over the last five years, the announced new policy on drugs, cannabis in particular, has been the subject of much debate within the Belgian Federal Government and between the government and the opposition parties. Unclear policies and poor public communication from the Federal Government, the competent minister and the other parties caused immense confusion about whether and when the possession of cannabis would be legal and what the criteria would be for prosecution when found possessing cannabis. This confusion has been illustrated by a survey by Gelders and Van Mierlo (2004) Legalized or not? Poor public communication causes confusion over the new cannabis policy in Belgium. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 2, 167–177. Aims: (1) to present the most relevant policy developments specifically from the last two years, and (2) to determine whether there is still confusion and to assess the knowledge of young people about current prosecution practices. Methods: (1) an analysis of policy documents and legal texts, and (2) a more up-to-date survey among 748 Belgian youngsters. Findings: only 35.1% answered the basic-knowledge questions correctly while 59.2% assessed the prosecution practice in an appropriate manner. Conclusion: there is still a lot of confusion regarding the current cannabis legislation and prosecution.

Recovery of Offenders Formerly Labeled as Not Criminally Responsible: Uncovering the Ambiguity From First-Person Narratives:

The recovery paradigm is a widely accepted strength-based approach in general mental health care. Particular challenges arise when applying this paradigm in a forensic context. To address these issues, the present study examined recovery based on first-person narratives of offenders formerly labeled as not criminally responsible of whom the judicial measure was abrogated. Eleven in-depth interviews were conducted to obtain information on lived experiences and recovery resources of this hard-to-reach and understudied population. The interviews focused on recovery and elements that indicated a sense of progress in life. Key themes were derived from the collected data. Descriptions of recovery resources followed recurrent themes, including clinical, functional, social, and personal resources. Participants also reported ambiguous experiences related to features of the judicial trajectory. This was defined as forensic recovery and can be seen as an additional mechanism, besides more established recovery dimensions, that is unique to mentally ill offenders.

Future expectations of young people leaving youth care in Flanders: the role of personal and social capital in coping with expected challenges

What do young people leaving youth care think about their future? How do they view their transition between youth care and adulthood? These questions were answered by 71 young people leaving youth care in Flanders. The analysis of the interviews showed that three groups of young people can be distinguished when it comes to their expectations regarding the transition: those with positive future expectations that do not expect any difficulties during their transition, those with positive future expectations expecting difficulties that will eventually pass, and those with negative future expectations, who do not expect their transition difficulties will pass. Most respondents think the future is looking bright, because they are about to graduate or have graduated, and/or because they are intrinsically motivated to deal with their anticipated transition difficulties. Young people with negative future expectations do not stress their intrinsic motivation. Some of them think a (future) partner and their parents will be able to support them through their difficulties; they do not consider professional support as helpful, however.