The Edmonton Drug Treatment and Community Restoration Court (EDTC) diverts substance-addicted offenders from the criminal justice system and provides intensive court supervision, case management, and links to social, employment and education support. This thesis aimed to generate a grounded theory of the process of participant engagement with the EDTC, drawing on staff and participant interviews and observation of EDTC operations. Criteria of engagement included meeting expectations, communicating openly and honestly, and forming bonds. Internal engagement was described as feeling hopeful and willing, and perceiving expectations as helpful rather than controlling. Perceptions underlying internal engagement involved motivation and openness to socialization and trust; feeling engaged resulting in the act of confronting issues rather than avoiding them. The process of engagement was a positive cycle, instigated and perpetuated through interaction with expectations and discipline, realizing and experiencing specific reasons to change, forming trust and accessing internal and external resources to address barriers.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Sociology)--Vanderbilt University, May 2007. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-96).

The aim of this paper was to describe the phenomenon of threats and violence within a Swedish penal institution. The study was thematized according to the three main research questions. These were as follows; The threats and violence prison staff have experienced in their workplace (I) how these experiences affected them in their work performances (II) and in their private life (III). By a qualitative design, in-depth interviews were carried out with four persons who are, or formerly have been, gainfully employed at a penal institution. Concepts from the theory of symbolic interactionism and a theory of human action have been used in the analysing process of this paper. The study showed that all respondents had experiences of threats and/or violence as well as been witnessing the phenomenon. This also showed to be something that had been affecting them in their work e.g. by changes of departments, sick leaves and a different treatment of offenders through avoiding certain inmates and situations. The respondents exposure of threats and violence was related to understaffing and management structure. The study further showed that the respondents were affected in their private life in terms of a changed outlook on people, mood changes and also through a blunting concerning fear.

The relationship that develops between a client and therapist is arguably one of the most important factors toward achieving positive outcomes from therapy. Although the therapeutic alliance has been well studied, there is a paucity of research related to the impact of this relationship when the client is an offender, of Aboriginal ancestry, or psychopathic. The present study employed an archival design in which a sample of 427 treated sexual offenders were examined with regard to their experience of therapeutic alliance with their primary therapists. Offenders who were admitted to the Clearwater Sex Offender Program at the Regional Psychiatric Centre Hospital in Saskatoon (RPC Prairies) between 1998 and 2005 completed a measure that rated the strength of their relationship with their primary therapists using the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) roughly three months after program admission. Approximately 46% of the sample was of Aboriginal ancestry, while the majority of the balance (approximately 52%) was Caucasian. A sub-sample of 111 offenders was also scored on the PCL-R. Analysis of WAI scores among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal offenders demonstrated a significant difference on the Bond scale of the WAI, suggesting that although the bonds between Aboriginal offenders and their primary therapists were not as strong as they were between non-Aboriginal offenders and therapists, Aboriginal offenders were still able to identify and agree on the goals and the tasks of the treatment (weaker bonds notwithstanding). Aboriginal offenders also spent slightly less time in treatment overall than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. The present research also found that as the scores on the WAI increased, rates of treatment noncompletion decreased, the implications of which would seem to highlight the need to foster and maintain strong therapeutic relationships. In terms of outcome, perhaps unexpectedly, results of the present research found that WAI was not a significant predictor of any recidivism criteria. Aboriginal Ancestry was related to non-sexual violent reconvictions and general reconvictions, but not sexual recidivism. Moreover, offenders who were both Aboriginal and reported low WAI scores were the most likely to recidivate in a non-sexual violent manner and in general, but not sexually. An examination of the relationship of working alliance to psychopathy found that WAI and PCL-R scores were not significantly correlated overall; however, a negative inverse relationship between the Lifestyle and Emotional facets with total WAI score was noted, suggesting that callous-unemotional traits and lifestyle were associated with weaker alliance. Interestingly, these correlations were not evident in the Aboriginal sample suggesting that other factors, aside from levels of psychopathy, were associated with working alliance in this ancestral group. In addition, results of the present analysis revealed WAI and PCL-R together, were better able to predict sexual recidivism for non-Aboriginal offenders than for Aboriginal offenders; however, the WAI and PCL-R jointly predicted nonsexual violent recidivism, but only for non-Aboriginal offenders, and jointly predicted general recidivism for both ancestral groups. Together, the results of this study attempt to further advance our understanding of the therapeutic alliance and its link to treatment outcome, Aboriginal ancestry, and psychopathy.

Section 718.2 (e)’s directive to canvass all available sanctions other than imprisonment that are reasonable in the circumstances, with particular attention to the circumstances of Aboriginal offenders was to be given real force. This study’s goal was therefore to identify what considerations may be impeding or encouraging the application of section 718.2 (e)’s directive through a constructivist discourse analysis of 33 court of appeal cases. The study has mapped trends and influences which weigh strongly on sentencing judges in the decision-making process and considerations that are affecting the application of this provision. Prohibitive and permissive dimensions of the Gladue case were identified related to the application of section 718.2 (e), creating competing ideals in the application of the provision. Modern Penal Rationality (MPR) underpinned many of the judges’ justifications. However, unforeseen considerations were also noted. Ultimately, MPR, dominates the sentencing calculus and diminishes section 718.2 (e)’s application and alternative/restorative potential.

Although both female and male mass murderers have been studied, less attention has been paid to women who commit mass murder. Current literature suggests mass murders committed by women, regardless of offender choice, are well planned, predisposing factors and precipitating events prior to the offence have been noted. This study explored the patterns among the crimes of female family annihilators. This study focuses on an exploratory sample of North American cases, occurring between 1970 and 2010, where females were identified as killing four or more family members during what has been described as a single homicidal event. Using a North American database of newspaper accounts, patterns are uncovered by comparing variables including, but not limited to: motive, number of victims, method of murder, age of offender and victim age. The findings suggest that a clearer profile and set of definitions need to be adopted in discussions of female family annihilators. Practical and theoretical implications will be discussed. / UOIT

Numerous cognitive, personality and situational factors have been found to be related to aggression. Understanding how these factors interrelate is essential to predicting violence and critical to the assessment and treatment of offenders with violent histories. Previous research has suggested a potential role for social problem solving as a mediator between impulsivity and aggression (McMurran et al., 2002). Additionally, it is well established that aggression is more likely to occur in the context of alcohol use (Collins, 1993; Reiss & Roth, 1993; Lipsey, Wilson, Cohen & Derzon 1997). Based on existing literature, a model of aggression was developed involving impulsivity, social problem solving and alcohol dependency. Utilizing path analysis with multiple regression, a mediational model of aggression was assessed on a sample of 179 provincially incarcerated offenders, 87% of whom were Aboriginal and 45% of whom had a previous conviction of domestic abuse. The data suggest that social problem solving, alcohol dependency and impulsivity are all important in understanding and predicting aggression. Social problem solving does not appear to act as a mediator in the relationship between impulsivity and aggression, although preliminary results suggest that impulsivity, may serve the function in this relationship and in the manifestation of aggression. The implications of these findings for our understanding about human factors contributing to aggression and for further advancement of treatment programs are provided.

The legitimacy of classifying female offenders in the correctional system has been disputed (especially the application of male-normed risk assessment tools), and yet, there is a need to accurately determine the risk of re-offending and the criminogenic needs of the offender along with general and specific issues (i.e., responsivity) that will encourage successful program delivery. The Level of Service Inventory Ontario Revision (LSI-OR; Andrews, Bonta & Wormith, 1995) is an assessment tool used throughout Ontarios probation services and provincial institutions. Although the first edition of the LSI was based primarily on a male sample, later revisions included norms for female offenders based on samples spanning three continents (Blanchette & Brown, 2006). Although its reliability and predictive validity has been demonstrated across many field settings and offender populations, few studies (e.g., Rettinger, 1998) have addressed the question of predictive validity on a sufficiently large sample of female offenders to convince the skeptics of the LSI-ORs applicability to women (Blanchette & Brown).<p> The current study examined internal consistency, the ability to discriminate recidivists from non-recidivists with t-tests, and the capacity to predict recidivism with correlation and receiver operating characteristic analysis. The sample consisted of 2831 female offenders who were either released from a provincial correctional facility, completed a conditional sentence in the community, or completed a sentence of probation in Ontario during a one year period (2002/2003). Special consideration was given to female offenders from different disposition groups, with different racial backgrounds, with mental health issues and with prior victimization. The LSI-OR had very strong internal consistency and was able to distinguish offenders who committed a re-offence from those who did not commit a re-offence; both when considering the scale as a whole and when considering individual subscales. The LSI OR was also found to predict recidivism for all female offenders. It also predicted recidivism for all subgroups with the exception of female offenders released on a conditional sentence and who had been previously victimized. While the use of the LSI-OR to assess provincial female offenders is supported, however, new risk levels are suggested to increase the predictive ability and reduce the potential for over-classification.

In order to assist people in making positive changes of problematic behaviour it is necessary to examine how people change and what factors influence the process. Criminal offenders represent a group of individuals who often have difficulty desisting from problematic behaviour and continue to engage in illegal activity. Offenders in provincial correctional institutions were administered questionnaires to determine stage of change and processes utilized as outlined in the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of change (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1984). Additionally, offenders were asked about their visions of the future using the Possible Selves (PSs) Model (Markus & Nurius, 1986). Taken together, this study looked at the contribution of the PSs Model to our understanding of the TTM, which has been criticized in recent years as lacking therapeutic significance for treatment providers as they guide individuals through the change process. More specifically, this study compares chronic criminals with first time offenders on psychological variables such as readiness for change, vision of possible selves, and hope for the future, as well as on legal variables such as risk for recidivism and institutional behaviour. The results indicate that most offenders acknowledged their behaviour as problematic and some even reported they were actively taking steps to change; however, chronic offenders admitted having less hope than first time offenders. Interestingly, both groups rated similarly on the dimensions of PSs. The outcomes would suggest that research efforts to incorporate other complimentary theories of change into the TTM, like the PSs model, may be helpful for understanding the process of change. While it seems these models may not be useful for predicting institutional behaviour, the data perhaps demonstrates the complexity of criminal behaviour and speaks to the necessity of further research in this population.