No description available.

This study was aimed at exploring the reasons why a group of men convicted of sexual offences against children desisted from further sexual offending. The research employed a qualitative methodology aimed at gaining a phenomenological understanding of participants' perceptions of the desistance process. A total of 32 participants were interviewed using a semi-structured life story interview. Data was analysed using thematic analysis, looking for commonalities across and within narratives. Theory was developed using a grounded theory methodology. The results show that desistance from sexual offending, for the study group, was largely a process of identity change. It involved a rejection of the label 'sex offender' and the adoption of a more positive, prosocial identity. As part of this process participants were inclined to minimise their offending and distance themselves from the perception that they were an 'offender'. They tended to describe their offending as being situational, and accounted for their offences as being an abberation. Social capital in the form of relationships and work was of great importance to the study group but did not appear to be directly linked to their desistance. However, future planning was a central part of the desistance process and, for most participants, involved plans for the development of new relationships and employment. The above themes are developed into a theory of desistance from sexual offending. The practical implications of the research are discussed. These include proposals to improve the treatment of men convicted of sexual offences: practitioners should emphasise responsibility for future actions rather than past ones, should encourage future planning, and give practical assistance for the development of new relationships and safe employment. They should encourage and support identity change, and should use a 'language of desistance, rather than defining people by the risk they present.

The aim of this research was to investigate the concordance between response systems in the sexual arousal of sexual offenders. The lack of concordance between the physiolcY:Jically assessed sexu.al arousal and the sllITultaneous internal experience of the response was assumed to be specific to sexual offenders and to contribute to their pattern of impulsive, assaultive sexual behaviour. It was intended to examine the fonn of this desynchrony and to investigate whether it might be due to an inability to 'track' or alternatively to the specific demand characteristics of the sexual assessment environment. A particular relationship between the two response systems was found only in a sub-group (68 %) of the sexual offenders, and this pattern was found, not in response to sexually deviant material, but to films of consenting, legal behaviour. Exposure to explicit depictions of illegal sexual behaviour served mainly to identify the non-sexual offenders. Where materials are not available, or cannot be used, discrimination between groups can be carried out less successfully by using data from an attitude questionnaire.

This thesis focuses on the role of front-line workers in constructing individuals as eligible, or ineligible, for the status of victim of human trafficking. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this thesis brings the sociology of social problems into discussion with an analysis of public policy and socio-legal studies to develop new empirical evidence of instability in the victim of trafficking status. Claims are made at the international and national level in the UK that policies to tackle human trafficking are based on a human rights approach. Multiple claims are embedded within this claim about the nature and scale of human trafficking, presenting an idealised view of the victim of trafficking as clearly defined. This perspective is contested in encounters between claimants to the victim of trafficking status and front-line workers. The decisions and actions of front-line workers about the eligibility of concrete individuals to the status of ‘victim of trafficking’ highlight the use of multiple definitions of human trafficking in different institutions. These decisions are influenced by the front-line worker’s assessment of the credibility of the claimant; the multiple accountabilities that apply to front-line workers; and temporality. The discretion to select a definition that is most useful for the context within which the front-line worker operates identifies them as street-level bureaucrats (Lipsky, 1980).

This thesis examined sex offender risk assessment. A systematic review of the literature found that the predictive validity of tools that take an actuarial approach, and tools that take a structured professional judgement (SPJ) approach is promising, but that the quality of available research in this field is variable. Further evaluation of tools taking the SPJ approach was recommended, as was further validation of sex offender risk assessment tools on sex offender sub-groups. A case study of an adult male sex offender demonstrated the complexities involved in sex offender risk assessment in clinical practice, and the challenges clinicians face in making assessments and recommendations following sex offender treatment. Following this, the RM2000/S (Thornton et aI., 2003) was critically appraised, and finally an empirical research study was preformed whereby the predictive validity of the Structured Assessment of Risk and Need Treatment Needs Analysis (SARN TNA; Thornton, 2002) was assessed. Despite widespread use ofthe SARN TNA by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) of England and Wales, its level of predictive power was found to be small. The findings suggest that the SARN TNA should not be relied on as a predictor scale for sexual recidivism. This highlights the need for further evaluation of the tool, which could result in the method of assigning risk group being modified. The final chapter of the thesis summarises the findings of the thesis chapters, and concludes that further evaluation of the effectiveness of sex offender risk assessment tools is necessary to be able to use these tools to aid defensible decision-making.

Approximately two women are killed each week by a former or current partner (Coleman & Osbourne, 2010); yet many people ask why women stay in their respective relationships. The aim of this thesis was to explore the experiences and perceptions of victims in disclosure to the health care service, as for many victims this may be their first point of contact (Richardson & Feder, 1996). This thesis contains a systematic review, an empirical research study, a case study and a critique of a psychometric measure. Overall, the findings of this thesis demonstrate that although victims' decisions to leave their abusive partners can be difficult, there are certain factors that may help victims to leave such as receiving external support. The systematic review in this thesis investigated the experiences and perceptions of victims in disclosure to the health care service; the review revealed a lack of studies in the UK in this area. However, the findings of this review were still deemed to be useful as they provided insight into the barriers and facilitators that women experience when disclosing to the health care service. An empirical investigation was also conducted that explored the experiences of disclosure of 29 victims to the UK health service; barriers and facilitators were identified that supported the findings from the systematic review. The case study of a female who had experienced domestic violence was used in this thesis. This case study supported the fact that victims may develop low self-esteem as a result of abuse and may benefit from psychological interventions. A critique of the Abusive Behaviour Inventory (ABI), a psychometric measure used in both empirical studies, was included in this thesis and recommendations were made to improve the tool’s use. This tool failed to take into consideration individual differences in victims.

This Doctorate research study has aimed to critically review the concepts of risk and risk assessment processes of sex offenders within the Probation Service. It has sought to critically examine the uses and application of the risk assessment tools of the Offender Assessment System and Risk Matrix 2000 in relation to sexual offenders, and examine practitioners opinions and perspectives regarding the effectiveness of these tools for aiding in understanding and managing the risks posed of sexual offenders. It has also aimed to critically examine the level of practitioners experience and training as well as the support available to Probation staff and how this impacts upon their use of clinical and actuarial approaches to assessing the risk that sex offenders pose. Lastly it has aimed to critically discuss these aims in light of the changes that have taken place due to the Transforming Rehabilitation policies implemented by the coalition Government. The research has been undertaken using qualitative methods of semi structure interviews and quantitative data in the form of questionnaires. This Doctorate research has identified there is an increasing trend to focusing on actuarial risk assessments, and these being used to determine intervention / allocation of resources. The clinical assessment skills of Probation Officers can be very valuable, and further attention needs to be given in terms of ensuring that these are developed. This research has identified that there was a lack of formal training available, and there was not consistent levels of support available to Probation Officers. This Doctorate has contributed to academic knowledge, and has provided a frontline perspective on the risk assessment tools used by Probation Officers to assess the risk that sex offenders pose. It provided an investigation of the use of Offender Assessment System and Risk Matrix 2000 as part of the risk assessment process and there has been limited coverage of this previously within academic circles. It was written at a time when the Probation Service was undergoing radical reforms, and provides a critical examination of how these reforms have impacted on the assessment and management of sex offenders.

This study examines the supervision and management of sex offenders in denial through small sample studies of the probation service in England and Wales. Denial in sex offenders is complex and can create significant difficulty for probation officers holding the responsibility for managing the cases. This has been highlighted as problematic, with deficiencies in the training and support of probation officers considered to be a major factor (HMIP, 2010; Ministry of Justice, 2010). The study discusses the issues which can arise for probation officers and evaluates existing approaches to probation supervision of sexual offenders in denial. The literature review examines the concept of the risk society (Beck, 1992, Giddens, 1990,1991) and the historical development of the probation service within this context. The requirement to control and manage risk has had a central role in shaping the contemporary probation service, and underpins risk assessment and management decisions. Additionally, the concept of denial is explored using sources from sociology and psychology. This leads to a discussion of ways of approaching the issue of denial with sexual offenders. The primary research was conducted in the period 2011-2013 with both pre- and post-qualified officers. It is comprised of two studies of pre-qualified officers, which identify issues for those who have been unable to access experience in working with sexual offending and those in denial. Two studies of qualified officers indicate that there is disparity in confidence, with those trained in a social work ethos possessing more assurance than probation officers who qualified more recently in risk-focussed programmes. The study additionally examines resources such as programmes and methods of one-to-one working. It is the contention of the author that greater dissemination of these resources will assist probation officers in their work with deniers.

This thesis aims to deconstruct the problem of sexual killing both by examining the validity of conceptualising sexual offending on a continuum and exploring the categorisation of a killing as sexual with analysing the functional significance of the act of killing. It presents a systematic review of literature considering what is known about the characteristics of sexual killers and sexual aggressors before conducting an empirical research study aiming to account for the sexual aspect within the criminal event of sexual killers. The study uses a large sample of 350 non-serial male sexual killers of females aged 14 years or over, who had been convicted and served a custodial sentence within UK Prison Service. Lastly the thesis discusses the diagnostic difficulties of sexual sadism and examines the psychometric properties of a relatively newly developed instrument regarding the diagnosis of sexual sadism, the Severe Sexual Sadism Scale (SeSaS; Nitschke, Osterheider & Mokros, 2009). Clinical and research implications of the research are also considered.

Practitioners working within forensic environments will be acutely aware of the diverse risks, complex treatment needs and unique responsivity issues found within the multifaceted marginal group of sexual offenders. Deviant sexual fantasy (DSF) is considered to be important in the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders. Despite the recent growth in research, conclusions remain inconsistent on the significance of fantasy in offending behaviour. Furthermore, the underlying structural components of fantasy remain relatively unexplored. The aim of this thesis was to explore the forensic relevance of the fantasy phenomenon predominantly related to sexual offending populations. This was done by investigating the cognitive components of fantasy in regards to the intersection between fantasy, cognition, personality and self-representation (the latter constructs being considered as reflections of individual internal mental models). Chapter one provided a context to the thesis by presenting an argument that fantasy is forensically relevant in terms of implicit beliefs (offence supportive), cognitions (cognitive distortions, offence supportive beliefs) and personality organisation and functioning (e.g. coping mechanisms). Chapter two detailed a literature review following a systematic approach, exploring the role of fantasy within sexual offending behaviour. Sixteen studies were included in the review. An associative relationship was found between offence supportive fantasy and sex offending behaviour. Personality (among others) was identified as one of the moderating factors within this relationship. However, key methodological limitations with the included studies were discussed. Chapter three utilised a case study approach to consider the complexities of assessment and treatment for a medium risk internet sexual offender (ST). This chapter explored ST’s vulnerabilities in depth (low self-esteem, interpersonal difficulties, emotional dysregulation, rigid cognitive style) and provided a comprehensive assessment and formulation of risk (fantasy experiences reinforce offence supportive attitudes and cognitive distortions). Results suggested that fantasy could be mapped onto personality, organisation and functioning. ST’s fantasy life was considered a latent variable that only became an acute and dynamic risk factor when combined with his distorted attitudes. Chapter four detailed a critique of the MCMI-III. Specific emphasis was placed on assessing the utility of the measure within forensic settings and how this could supplement assessment of fantasy experiences. The tool was found to be psychometrically stable, however it was suggested that use with a sex offender population is approached with caution. Chapter five investigated associations between personality, fantasy proneness and sexual fantasies, in addition to exploring the function and structural components of sexual fantasy. An anonymous electronic questionnaire (containing several psychometric questionnaires e.g. IPIP-50, WSFQ, CEQ) was presented online for a period of 12 weeks. 259 males participated in the study. Links to fantasy proneness, certain personality markers (e.g. agreeableness, intellect/imagination) and early abusive experiences were found. Static fantasy experiences were associated with conscientiousness. Behavioural expression of fantasy was associated with extraversion. ‘Vividness’ of sexual fantasy was explained by the following themes: 1) Boundaries of imagination 2) Context 3) Structure of fantasy and, 4) Fantasy-Reality distinction. Finally, chapter six provides a conclusion to the thesis by summarising the main findings, with particular emphasis on how findings relate more directly to the fantasy phenomenon. The main suppositions and recommendations are as follows: • Fantasies prime self-other associations. Thus, indirect measures of fantasy may be useful and allow the cognitive mapping of fantasy. • A tiered definition of offence related fantasy is recommended pertaining to frequency, vividness, level of intrusion and the risk relevance. • Control (and disintegration of), coping and cognitive capabilities are implicated as important concepts for fantasy prone individuals. To a certain point, offence related fantasy may act as a protective factor for some individuals, until the fantasy can no longer satiate their needs. • The temporal ordering of fantasy function is important in determining risk relevance pertaining to protective factors (emotional regulation), risk inducing factors (priming offender identity) and high risk situations. • Fantasy generation is a skill; the more involvement an individual has with their internal world the more adept they will be at generating complex fantasy experiences and, in turn, the more enmeshed fantasy and reality can become. • Grounding techniques and acceptance commitment therapy may be a useful treatment recommendation for individuals that experience offence related fantasy. Discussion is augmented within contemporary theoretical perspectives in order to consider clinical implications. Limitations of the current thesis and recommendations for future research are also outlined.