{"title":"Who With Whom: Matching Therapist and Client in Correctional Institutions.","authors":"Ronja Heintzsch, Marie Joséphine Hamatschek","doi":"10.1177/0306624X231213317","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0306624X231213317","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The current study investigated variables that are being considered when assigning psychotherapists to individuals convicted of sexual and violent offences. Its main aim is to inform practitioners and researchers alike of potentially beneficial combinations between therapist and client and infer hypotheses for future studies. A mixed-methods approach, combining interviews and a follow-up questionnaire, was employed. Nineteen interviews with forensic practitioners working in socio-therapeutic facilities in Germany were conducted. Relevant matching criteria were extracted from all interviews. 1.) Capacities of therapist, 2.) therapist's professional background, 3.) (severity of) clinical disorder, 4.) personal fit, and 5.) fit of client into existing groups emerged as top five matching criteria. Directive therapists were viewed as a good match for antisocial or psychopathic offenders. Opinions diverged regarding personality similarity or complementarity in client-therapist dyads. A flexible matching approach may offer unique strengths to enhance treatment outcome. Implications and ideas for future research are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":48041,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology","volume":" ","pages":"775-792"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139075545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Silvia A Armas, Virginia Spicknall, Lindsay Sheehan
{"title":"Incarceration Trauma From the Perspective of Individuals With Mental Illness: Therapeutic Implications.","authors":"Silvia A Armas, Virginia Spicknall, Lindsay Sheehan","doi":"10.1177/0306624X251386468","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0306624X251386468","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Traumatic experiences are prevalent within the criminal justice system, disproportionately impacting individuals with mental illness. This study examines the trauma experiences of participants (<i>n</i> = 30) who reported incarceration trauma and had a mental health diagnosis prior to incarceration. Participants completed demographic questionnaires, trauma assessments, and interviews. Eighteen met criteria for incarceration-related PTSD or CPTSD, although only six had reported a previous PTSD diagnosis. Participants viewed traumatic experiences in an expansive way. Experiences included exposure to violence, loss of autonomy, subpar mental health care, bullying, social environment, uncertainty, poor living conditions, isolation, and humiliation. Participants recommended greater access to therapy, vocational and educational programming, personal advocates, healthcare staff, improved medication services, peer services, and religious support for addressing trauma. Participants also made suggestions related to preventative services, systemic changes, and community transition. Professionals serving currently or formerly incarcerated individuals should also understand how inequalities within the criminal justice system impact clients.</p>","PeriodicalId":48041,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology","volume":" ","pages":"853-874"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145490646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Arianne Imbeault, Anne G Crocker, Elke Ham, Marie-Christine Stafford, N Zoe Hilton
{"title":"Clinical Subgroups of Individuals Receiving Care in a Forensic Hospital: A 20-Year Comparison and Treatment Need Implications.","authors":"Arianne Imbeault, Anne G Crocker, Elke Ham, Marie-Christine Stafford, N Zoe Hilton","doi":"10.1177/0306624X251391790","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0306624X251391790","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examines whether clinical need subgroups in forensic care have evolved over 20 years and explores differences in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and assaultive behaviors across groups. This retrospective observational study used data from a hospital for men; Sample 1 (S1, <i>N</i> = 97) collected in 1990, and Sample 2 (S2, <i>N</i> = 176) in 2009-2012. A data-driven multiple correspondence analysis and a cluster analysis was conducted on S1 based on clinical needs, then applied to S2. ACEs and assault proportions within each cluster were compared using chi-square tests. Clusters identified: minimal needs (S1 = 23%, S2 = 20%); psychotic disorders (S1 = 19%, S2 = 17%); personality disorders (S1 = 21%, S2 = 22%); complex needs (S1 = 37%, S2 = 41%). Participants reporting ACEs (<i>p</i> = .004) and assault (<i>p</i> < .001) differed between clusters. The third cluster reported the highest ACEs (84.6%) and assault (61.5%).</p>","PeriodicalId":48041,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology","volume":" ","pages":"895-916"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145764109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Entrepreneurship and Criminal Justice Populations: A Social Cognitive Perspective.","authors":"Kris A Bertelsen, Femina P Varghese, Anna Park","doi":"10.1177/0306624X231219204","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0306624X231219204","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A criminal record limits employment opportunities of those released from prison. Entrepreneurship, or starting one's own business venture, has been suggested as a way to overcome the employment barriers of a criminal record, given that many justice-involved persons have entrepreneurship experiences, often through illegal ventures. Sparse research has investigated how legal or illegal business experience translates to legal entrepreneurship attitudes. Using social cognitive career theory-career theory (SCCT), and concepts from the Risk Need Responsivity (RNR) model, the role of illegal and legal business exposure were investigated. Findings indicated that both legal and illegal business exposure had a positive influence on entrepreneurship goals through entrepreneurship self-efficacy and entrepreneurship outcome expectations. Legal experiences had a stronger influence. Criminal thinking, a significant risk factor for return to criminal behavior, was investigated in its role in entrepreneurship attitudes. Findings indicated that criminal thinking had an indirect effect on entrepreneurship goals through entrepreneurship self-efficacy.</p>","PeriodicalId":48041,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology","volume":" ","pages":"793-806"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138832353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marjolein De Pau, Tom Vander Beken, Freya Vander Laenen, Stijn Vandevelde
{"title":"Exploring the Good Lives Model Concepts among an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Forensic Clients: A Qualitative Study.","authors":"Marjolein De Pau, Tom Vander Beken, Freya Vander Laenen, Stijn Vandevelde","doi":"10.1177/0306624X251370375","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0306624X251370375","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The increasing ethnic diversity in Europe's forensic population challenges culturally sensitive rehabilitation. The Good Lives Model, a strengths-based rehabilitation framework promoting well-being and desistance, provides a universal structure but shows potential for cultural adaptation. This study explores the emic dimensions of the GLM's core concepts and assumptions-primary goods, secondary goods, strengths, and obstacles-among ethnically diverse forensic clients, with particular attention to how they perceive and engage with the model. Semi-structured Good Lives interviews were conducted with 18 forensic clients from diasporic groups. Findings indicate that while primary goods hold universal relevance, cultural factors influence their prioritization attainment. The GLM enables recognition of systemic barriers alongside individual strengths. Participants perceived the Good Lives Interview as fostering comfort and rapport, enabling discussions on sensitive topics, including offending behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":48041,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology","volume":" ","pages":"831-852"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145070956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David Thornton, Mark E Olver, Norma E Garza, Gwenda M Willis, Sharon M Kelley
{"title":"How to Combine the Static-99R With the SAPROF-SO.","authors":"David Thornton, Mark E Olver, Norma E Garza, Gwenda M Willis, Sharon M Kelley","doi":"10.1177/0306624X261456066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X261456066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The SAPROF-SO was developed as a measure of protective factors relevant to sexual recidivism to support a balanced, holistic assessment of recidivism risk. Traditionally, sexual recidivism risk has been largely understood in terms of the density of risk factors presented by the individual, as measured by instruments like the Static-99R. This paper investigated how far the recidivism risk implied by a Static-99R score would be moderated by the presence of protective factors as measured by the SAPROF-SO Version 1. Data representing 5-year sexual recidivism, along with scores on Static-99R and the SAPROF-SO Version 1, were collated from previously collected samples of men with a history of sexual offending who had been selected for prison treatment programs designed to reduce sexual recidivism risk in Canada and New Zealand, giving a combined sample of <i>N</i> = 467. Fitting a logistic regression equation to predict 5-year sexual recidivism indicated that both instruments were predictive, with the SAPROF-SO powerfully moderating the level of risk implied by Static-99R scores. Implications for clinical assessment are discussed and an Excel-based calculator implementing the logistic regression equation was developed for clinical use.</p>","PeriodicalId":48041,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology","volume":" ","pages":"306624X261456066"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148102294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fergus McNeill, Lucy Cathcart Frödén, Phil Crockett Thomas, Oliver Escobar, Alison Urie, Jo Collinson Scott
{"title":"Making Light of Imprisonment: Humour, Connection and Resistance.","authors":"Fergus McNeill, Lucy Cathcart Frödén, Phil Crockett Thomas, Oliver Escobar, Alison Urie, Jo Collinson Scott","doi":"10.1177/0306624X261455072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X261455072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In previous papers, we have explored how songs written in prison, and the process of collaborative songwriting that produced them, served as devices for solving relational and personal problems that imprisonment poses. Here, drawing on data from the same project (Distant Voices: Coming Home), we explore and analyse how humour featured both in the songwriting process and in some of the songs, focussing on two songs written by women in prison. Our analysis reveals how humour worked in these contexts as a technology of community-building and as a mode of subtle subversion, insubordination and 'soft resistance' to penal power. However, we also note the importance of attending to humour's temporariness, its deniability and its unpredictability. As such, prison humour occupies an unusual but important position in narrative terms, somewhere between the said and the unsaid; and that position allows it to do important personal, relational and political work.</p>","PeriodicalId":48041,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology","volume":" ","pages":"306624X261455072"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148036425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Predicting Recidivism: The Perspectives of Both Probation Practitioners and Clients on Their Working Alliance.","authors":"Annelies Sturm, Anneke Menger","doi":"10.1177/0306624X261445407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X261445407","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While there is growing evidence that the probation client-rated working alliance relates to recidivism, the practitioner's view has received little attention. This study explored that association. A sample of 176 probationer-practitioner-client dyads was used. Probation practitioner and client-ratings of the working alliance (WAMCI) at two time points were used for Cox-regression analyses. Confounders were history of previous convictions and age of first conviction. The probation-practitioner-rated working alliance was found to be associated with recidivism, even when crime history was taken into account. The combined working alliance score of the dyad was found to be strongly associated with recidivism. The largest difference is caused when both score high or low. The results indicated a substantial association between the combined probation practitioner-client ratings and recidivism in the subsequent 4 years of the clients. These findings underscore the importance of a reciprocal collaboration between the client and the probation practitioner as a crucial component in the pathway toward desistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":48041,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology","volume":" ","pages":"306624X261445407"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147934657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Negotiating Truths to \"Pass Through the Hoop\": How Men's Trajectories Shape Their Stories in Batterer Intervention Programmes.","authors":"Martín Hernán Di Marco, Adrián Jiménez-Ribera","doi":"10.1177/0306624X261450189","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0306624X261450189","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Narrative criminology has highlighted the role of storytelling in criminal behaviour and processes of change. In studies of intimate partner violence desistance, micro-social scholarship shows that therapeutic success often depends on negotiations between offenders' narratives and institutional narratives. Yet this literature has paid limited attention to the material and institutional conditions shaping such negotiations. Drawing on repeated life story interviews conducted with 41 men attending batterer intervention programmes in Argentina and Uruguay, this study compares participants' institutional trajectories and evolving narratives of change. Through the analysis of three cases, we show that men's accounts of desistance are shaped by their familiarity with institutional logics (such as programme expectations, timelines, and evaluative practices) as well as by their access to material resources that support change. We argue that the capacity to adapt and stabilise narratives of change is unevenly distributed and rooted in prior life trajectories and social resources, generating unequal possibilities of \"successful\" desistance (of <i>passing through the hoop</i>) across social backgrounds.</p>","PeriodicalId":48041,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology","volume":" ","pages":"306624X261450189"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147875588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Role and Relevance of the Working Alliance in Forensic Treatment: A Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Grant Forrest, Mark E Olver, Keira C Stockdale","doi":"10.1177/0306624X261448931","DOIUrl":"10.1177/0306624X261448931","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The working alliance has been extensively studied and consistently linked to improved treatment outcomes; however, existing reviews have almost exclusively focused on non-forensic samples, which differ significantly in client characteristics, treatment goals, and settings. Therefore, prior reviews may not generalize to forensic contexts. Seeking to fill this gap in the literature, a meta-analysis of the working alliance in forensic treatment contexts was conducted and its relationship to risk-relevant treatment outcomes was examined featuring <i>k</i> = 21 unique studies. All three treatment outcomes examined-treatment dropout (<i>d</i> = 0.390), institutional misconduct (<i>d</i> = 0.374), and community recidivism (<i>d</i> = 0.196)-were significantly and negatively associated with the working alliance. These findings demonstrate the working alliance as a meaningful predictor of treatment outcomes in forensic contexts. Implications for research and practice are discussed to promote more favorable treatment outcomes for forensic clients.</p>","PeriodicalId":48041,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology","volume":" ","pages":"306624X261448931"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147870037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}