This study examines notions of the professional criminal and career criminality in Turkey. Bourdieuian dispositional theory of action and Lacanian psychoanalytically-inflected discourse theory are together employed to understand and explain how one becomes, and continues to be, a professional criminal. The study presents the data from an offender-based ethnography in Ankara, the capital. The research pays special attention to the role of affects in the formation of criminal habitus, thus squarely placing the process of becoming a professional criminal within a process of symbolic identification with available criminal social types. The research reveals that the formation of bodily and mental criminal dispositions of younger, lower-class subaltern offenders can never be considered separately from the implication of their affective investments in the model-image of perceived gayrımeşhur [infamous criminal] 'big brothers' in the street. Moreover, it explains the appeal of a career in crime using the psychoanalytical notion of jouissance (enjoyment): the unconscious pleasure obtained from pursuing and enacting a criminal lifestyle. The unequal distribution of volume and structure of criminal capital among agents is argued to generate, particularly in the drug field, a strategic mutuality between perceived gayrımeşhur big brothers and younger generations who identify with the former. The affectively-constructed strategic proximity between generations transmits the understanding of crime as work from one generation to the next. The other finding of the study is that the modus operandi of professional burglary is put into practice within a structured division of labour in which each individual criminal capital is used collectively to overcome deterrents and effect the intended result: cash and jewellery. This research represents an original contribution to the literature of sociology and criminology by its theoretical neologism in explaining the formation of professional criminal subjectivity and its practice, and also by ethnographically exploring the patterns of crime and criminality in the socio-cultural context of Turkey.

This thesis considers the experiences of those working with offenders with personality disorder (PD). Chapter one introduces the concept of PD and identifies the aims of the thesis. Chapter two comprises of a systematic literature review of the psychological consequences of working with offenders with PD. The evidence suggests that working with offenders with PD can result in staff ’burnout’, feeling professionally isolated, reduced self-efficacy, and negative emotional lability. Despite the dominance of negative consequences from their work, positive experiences were also identified including feeling professionally challenged and satisfied. Chapter three explores the experiences of professionals working within ‘Unit A’ for offenders with PD and personality difficulties located within a high security prison. The results indicate a multiplicity of factors impact on the experiences of professionals working on the unit, including the prison environment, synergy of the workforce, the level of support required and provided, knowledge level, and individual perceptions. Additionally, the by-product of personal change was identified, which in turn influenced professionals’ experiences of working on ‘Unit A’. The findings demonstrate that numerous factors influenced a professional’s experiences working on ‘Unit A’, and most appear external to the challenging personality traits of the individuals with PD. Chapter four provides a critique of the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES; Schalast et al., 2008). Findings suggest that the EssenCES has an emerging research base which supports its rise as a valid and reliable measure of social climate. The chapter highlights the strengths of the EssenCES but also highlights the psychometric limitations of the measure. The final chapter discusses the thesis findings with reference to the need for further research and the implications for current practice.

This thesis explores risk factors for recidivistic arson in adult offenders. Chapter one provides an introduction to the characteristics of adult firesetters and theoretical approaches to understanding their behaviour. Chapter two provides a critique of the Fire Setting Scale (FSS) in terms of its psychometric properties and concludes that the FSS shows promise as a psychometric measure of fire interest and antisociality associated with firesetting in the general population. Chapter three contains a systematic review of the evidence base relating to risk factors for recidivistic arson in adult offenders. Standardised effect sizes are calculated and the data synthesised to identify risk factors with varying strengths of empirical support. The 15 studies reviewed varied in quality, contained few female subjects, and often studied psychiatric rather than wider criminal justice populations. The empirical research presented in Chapter four consists of a retrospective case-control study comparing a large sample of recidivist and first-time arsonists on a range of variables. Separate analyses for female and male subjects revealed differences in risk factors. Logistic regression was used to build predictive models of arson recidivism which were then operationalised into gender-specific risk prediction tools. Theoretical and clinical implications of the thesis are discussed in Chapter five, and a preliminary model of arson recidivism is proposed.

This thesis examines the effectiveness of general re-offending risk assessment instruments for young people. The introductory chapter considers current trends in Scottish youth crime and provides an overview of the unique way in which children and adolescents are dealt with through the Children's Hearing System (Social Work Scotland Act, 1968). Chapter two presents a systematic literature review of the risk and protective factors associated with repeat offending and desistance in adolescent offending behaviour. This was deemed necessary as previous adolescent reviews have focused on factors associated with the onset of offending and have neglected to identify those factors associated with continued involvement in crime. Chapter three provides a critical review of the 'Asset' risk of general re-offending risk assessment measure. This critique was conducted as 'Asset' has routinely been used for the past 13 years across the UK to identify community and custodial disposals for young people involved in criminal behaviour, and it is the measure of risk used in the research element of this thesis. Chapter four comprises an empirical research study, which compares the predictive validity of 'Asset' with that of the Youth Level of Service-Case Management Inventory (YLS-CMI) in a sample of Scottish youths. Each instrument predicted general repeat offending with moderate ('Asset' Area Under the Curve (AUC) =0.75) to large effect sizes (YLS-CMI AUC =0.81). Finally, chapter five summarises the findings from the previous chapters, considering potential implications for the development of policy and practice, and recommendations for future research.

This thesis investigates the application of crime linkage to sexual assaults with an adult sample where the offender is a stranger to the victim. Chapter 1 gives an overview of crime linkage and sexual offending. Additionally, it examines the theories that crime linkage is based on, with focus on situations that may impact on the effectiveness and usefulness of crime linkage. Chapter 2 compares serial and one-off sexual offenders; finding that there is almost little difference between the behaviours during an offence. Chapter 3 tests the two basic assumptions of crime linkage; behavioural consistency and distinctiveness. Using a larger sample than most current research, and then extending the dataset to include one-off offenders, excellent levels of predictive accuracy were achieved, thus providing support for the assumptions underpinning crime linkage. Chapter 4 test if the stage during the sexual offences has an impact on the predictive accuracy of the behaviours. However, the complete sample of behaviours still performed best. Chapter 5 investigates the performance of five different similarity coefficients with crime linkage analysis. None of the coefficients significantly outperformed the current one. Chapter 6 concludes the thesis, summarises the findings, and discusses the implications on both academic and practical applications of crime linkage.

This thesis examines the assessment and treatment of violence in personality disordered offenders, with the view of identifying pertinent issues to be considered when appraising risk within clinical practice. Chapter 1 reviews the relevant literature and outlines the remaining thesis. A systematic review evaluating Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) with borderline personality disordered (BPD) inpatients can be found in Chapter 2. Despite highlighting a number of methodological limitations, the review indicates DBT as having positive therapeutic effects within secure settings. Chapter 3 examines the predictive validity of the Historical/Clinical/Risk Management- 20 (HCR-20; Webster, Douglas, Douglas Eaves & Hart, 1997) showing it to be a valid and reliable within forensic populations. However, the review indicates the need for additional research, making recommendations for such work. The empirical paper in Chapter 4 investigates the concept Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD). A DSPD sample is compared to a non DSPD personality disordered group from the same setting on a number of risk related variables. Analysis of hospital incident data and Historical Clinical Risk Management-20 (HCR-20) scores suggests DSPD patients are at a higher risk of imminent harm to themselves and others than the comparison group. These findings offer substantiation to the DSPD label and the accompanying therapeutic programme. An individualised approach to risk assessment and treatment of a Learning Disabled offender with Borderline Personality Disorder is presented in Chapter 5, serving to highlight the difficulties with management of personality disordered inpatients. Chapter 6 offers concluding comments, discussing further implications for clinical practice.

This thesis explores the function of denial for sexual offenders, examining the role of shame and guilt. Chapter One provides an overview of the literature on the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders, drawing links to findings relating to shame/guilt and denial. Chapter Two reports the first systematic review to specifically examine existing research on shame/guilt and denial in sexual offenders. It highlights the lack of strong research exploring this relationship, although provides tentative evidence that shame is positively correlated with denial, while guilt is negatively correlated with denial in sexual offenders. In Chapter Three the correlation between shame/guilt and denial in sexual offenders is directly assessed. The findings are mixed, with some limited support for the positive relationship between shame and denial, and the negative relationship between guilt and denial in this population being generated. Possible reasons for the seemingly conflicting results are discussed, along with applications of the findings to theory, research and practice. Chapter Four is a critique of one of the psychometrics used in Chapter Three, including the background to its development, evidence for (and against) its reliability and validity and potential applications in research and applied settings. The thesis concludes in Chapter Five with a discussion of the findings of all chapters in relation to the aims set at the outset. While limitations are acknowledged, the unique contribution that the thesis makes to our understanding of the function of denial in sexual offenders, specifically in relation to shame and guilt, is highlighted.

Background Offenders with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) represent a particularly vulnerable population within Criminal Justice System. Uncertainty remains in relation to the proportion of prisoners with intellectual disabilities within the UK. This presents challenges in service provision and development across both custodial and secure settings. Concurrent reforms in legislative practice and developments in models of offending behaviour have resulted in a development of community-based services for offenders with intellectual disability. Provision of good quality transitionary care for this population presents remains challenging and there is an increasing need to develop a more collaborative and person-centred measure of the ‘successfulness’ of these transitions. Methodology A systematic review was completed regarding the prevalence of ID in UK prisons and methodological quality was explored. This aimed to inform research, professional practice and service development. An empirical study employed the qualitative methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the transitionary experiences of offenders with ID across secure settings. This was aimed to address gaps in the existing literature and address over-dependence on traditional post-transition outcome measures. Results Systematic review findings demonstrated ID prevalence rates between 0% - 8.5% of the UK prison population. Studies were found to be of moderately low methodological quality and results must be interpreted with caution. Empirical study findings identified five master themes in relation to transitionary experience: Relationships with Staff, Lived Experience of Transition, Steps towards Freedom, Community Embeddedness and Different Concepts of Self. Conclusions Suggestions are provided for future research in relation to the need for more accurate estimates of ID prevalence in UK prisons with better adherence to standard diagnostic criteria for ID. The importance of screening for intellectual disabilities in prison populations is discussed and implications for professional practice are considered. In relation to the empirical study suggestions are provided for future research in relation to active participation of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The importance of employing newer models of offending behaviour in professional practice is considered.

Mental health services provided through the Youth Offending Service (YOS) are inadequate to meet the needs of young offenders. The differing viewpoints of mental health and criminal justice are not incompatible, but require consideration in terms of how to work together. This has not occurred within youth justice, and there are tensions between the YOS and CAMHS. If the YOS structure better allowed for social justice approaches to occur within practice, these tensions could be avoided and the needs of young people better met. This research looked at the ways in which provision of mental health services impacts upon social justice within the YOS. A case study was constructed looking in detail at mental health provision, the challenges faced by mental health workers and their ability to overcome these problems. Mental health workers and managers within the YOS were interviewed to construct the case study. From this a number of issues were identified within practice that impact upon social justice, and how some youth offending teams had overcome them. From this both long and short-term suggestions and strategies for practice have been created to improve levels of social justice within youth justice practice.

Little research has been conducted when looking at the causes of juvenile sexual offending. This thesis attempted to highlight some of the gaps within the literature in this area by identifying whether developmental factors play an important role in juvenile sexual offending. This thesis includes a systematic review and review of a psychometric tool, in addition to both an individual case study and a research paper. The research compared two groups of juvenile sex offenders, those who offend against children and those who offend against adults/peers to identify differences on their maladaptive schemas and early attachment to parent and/or caregivers. Results indicated that all juvenile sexual abusers reported insecure attachment styles. Child abusers were mostly associated with a fearful attachment style whereas peer abusers were mostly associated with a dismissive attachment style. Those with a fearful attachment style reported significantly higher scores on the subjugation and self-sacrifice schemas. Furthermore, child abusers endorsed higher scores on the enmeshment, subjugation, insufficient self-control and self-sacrifice schemas. Further qualitative and quantitative research is recommended to develop these findings.