Graham Towl

Risk assessment with offenders

In the 1990s there has been renewed interest in risk assessment with offenders. It is important to distinguish between terms such as dangerousness, prediction and risk assessment. It is particularly difficult to estimate the probability of occurrence for behaviours with low base rates, such as homicide and suicide. A generic framework for risk assessment is outlined. Risk factors associated with suicide amongst offenders are examined. Homicide is used as an exemplar for the risk assessment framework. The need for theory led risk assessments to inform risk management and review strategies are emphasized.

Psychological research in prisons

Methodological issues in psychological research in prisons / David A. Crighton -- The modern context of psychology in corrections : influences, limitations and values of what works / Brian A. Thomas-Peter -- The needs of offenders and the process of changing them / Brian A. Thomas-Peter -- Psychological research into reducing suicides / David Crighton -- Psychological understanding of self-injury and attempted suicide in prisons / Louisa Snow -- The effective management of bullying in prisons : working towards an evidence-based approach / Jane L. Ireland -- Drug misuse intervention work / Graham Towl -- Research into high intensity training (HIT) with young people / Derval Ambrose -- Military corrective training centre : an evaluation / David P. Farrington, Kate A. Painter and Darrick Jolliffe -- Psychological research into life sentence offenders / David Crighton and Jo Bailey -- Psychological research into sexual offenders / David Crighton.

Suicide in prisons

Suicide in prisons has been the subject of much research effort (Topp, 1979; Dooley, 1990; Liebling, 1991; Bogue & Power, 1995; Towl & Crighton, 1998; Snow, 2002). For a pithy critique of UK research and practice see Crighton (2000) and Crighton (2003) respectively. Some of the research has clearly had a direct influence upon policy and practice in suicide prevention. However, despite this, the overall trend of rates of suicide in prisons is upwards.The comparatively high rate of suicide among prisoners and indeed offenders more generally may call into question the very humanity of our criminal justice structures and processes. The nature of imprisonment involves state containment; this carries with it a heavy weight of responsibility and accountability for the well‐being of the prisoner, a responsibility that may be amplified in the case of specific groups of prisoners, such as juveniles or young offenders.This paper reflects on research and practice in what is known about suicide in prisons. The language of suicide is also touched on, because of its relevance in working with the suicidal. Following on from this, the potential role of applied psychologists in preventing suicide will be outlined.

The habitual female offender inside: How psychopathic traits predict chronic prison violence.

Psychopathy is considered one of the best predictors of violence and prison misconducts and is arguably an important clinical construct in the correctional setting. However, we tested whether psychopathy can be used to predict misconducts in prison environments for women as has been done for men. To date, few studies exist that examine and validate this association in female offender samples. The present study included 182 ethnically diverse female offenders. The aim was to prospectively predict violent and nonviolent misconducts over a 9-month period using official records of prior violent criminal history (e.g., homicide, manslaughter, assault), and self-report measures of psychopathy, impulsivity, and empathy. Using negative binomial regression, we found that past violent criminal history, and callous and antisocial psychopathic traits were predictors of violent misconducts, whereas antisocial psychopathic traits and impulsivity best predicted nonviolent misconducts. Although empathy was negatively associated with psychopathy it was not a significant predictor of violent or nonviolent misconducts. Statistical models, which included impulsivity, were considered the most parsimonious at predicting misconducts. Our findings demonstrate how risk-factors found to be reliable in male offender samples, such as psychopathic traits, impulsivity, and past violent criminal history, generalize to female offenders for predicting nonviolent and violent misconducts. One notable difference is the importance of callous psychopathic traits when predicting chronic violent misconducts by female offenders. In sum, there are more similarities in psychopathy and impulsivity than differences in the prediction of misconducts among men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record

Self‐inflicted Deaths in Prisons in England and Wales from 1988 to 1996

In this study of 420 self‐inflicted deaths in prisons a number of themes emerge. First, important definitional issues in the study of suicide. Second, the observation of the inverse relationship between risk of suicide and time spent at the individual prison institution. Third, that significant age group differences in suicide rates are not distinguishable in prison. Fourth, that factors associated with an increased or decreased risk of suicide are often dynamic at a societal, institutional and individual level.

Applying psychology to forensic practice

The central theme of this book is that forensic psychology can benefit from the insights of many other branches of psychology. The contributors draw on the findings of occupational, cognitive, developmental and social psychology, as well as more familiar clinical and criminological approaches, in order to demonstrate the various ways in which psychology can be applied within the criminal justice system.Chapters include illustrations of the application of psychology to the investigative process, to the analysis of offending, to intervening with offenders, and to increasing organizational effectiveness. The book as a whole reflects the range and synergy that characterize forensic psychology today.

Reflections upon suicide in prisons

This paper provides a review of the language used to describe suicidal and self‐injurious behaviours in prisons. The effects of such linguistic practices on the treatment of suicidal prisoners are critically evaluated. The paper concludes with coverge of evidence‐based practice in the area of suicide and intentional self‐injury. A number of possible future developments are discussed.

Experimental interventions with sex offenders: a brief review of their efficacy

Sexual offending is an area which generates considerable public concern and which has received much attention, with a marked growth in a range of experimental interventions designed to reduce the risk of re-offending among participants. A number of significant challenges arise from this including the polythetic nature of the category “sex offender”. Any two people identified as sex offenders may have different and non-overlapping patterns of behaviour. Additionally most research and practice has focussed on those detected and convicted of sexual offences. Rates of reporting, detection and conviction in this area are generally very low, which suggests the existence of a large pool of undetected offenders. The extent to which this group differs from convicted groups is rarely acknowledged, yet an understanding of this is likely to be fundamental to efforts to prevent such offending and improve public protection.1,2 There have been two Cochrane Collaboration reviews of interventions with known sex offenders.3,4 Strikingly both reviews found no high quality randomised studies. The great majority of the research was excluded from review and was characterised as small scale and non-randomised, having high exclusion rates and being of relatively poor standard. Both reviews found only a small number of randomised studies, all of which had important weaknesses in terms of the description of randomisation and efforts to ensure blinding in assessment. Currently, cognitive behavioural group work is fashionable in the treatment of convicted sex offenders. The use of this approach, based on relapse prevention principles, was compared with a no treatment group by Marques et al .5 The mean duration of follow-up for this study was three years. No difference was found between the two groups in terms of rates of sexual offending (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.26 to 2.28). The treatment group showed lower rates for …

Student mental health; below the radar?

In 2011, the Royal College of Psychiatrists issued a report on the mental health of students in higher education. The report made recommendations for psychiatrists and the National Health Service, for Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) and a broader category of ‘all sectors’. One of the challenges of working with this potential group of patients is that students may well live within the area of the university for around half the year and elsewhere for the other half. Organisationally, this can create additional problems when compared with those with a fixed address the year round. The report emphasises the importance of …

Psychological services in prisons

Psychological services in prisons in England and Wales have a relatively lengthy history going back over 50 years. Over the past ten years there have been significant changes in psychological practice, in terms of both increases in numbers of staff and in the types of professional activity undertaken. Changes to the organisational structure of services are outlined, reflecting the concept of ‘offender management’, in prisons and probation in particular, but also in the wider context of ‘joined up government’. The need to look at the configuration of psychological services afresh is discussed.