title: Evaluation of treatment responsivity in a psychopathic prison treatment sample

authors: Champion, Michelle Elizabeth

subjects: psychopathy

abstract: Although punishment still dominates the criminal justice system, the progression of research on offending and imprisonment has led to a general consensus that rehabilitation programmes are the appropriate method to effectively reduce both recidivism and prison populations. Hence, many effective offender treatment programmes have been developed. This thesis evaluated phase one of a 10 month pilot treatment programme which used the theories and principles of effective programming to develop an effective programme for male high risk violent offenders assessed with elevated psychopathic personality (High Risk Personality Programme; HRPP), a population of offenders that is often regarded as treatment resistant. Specifically, phase one of the HRPP was designed to address the participants’ responsivity barriers (namely, antisocial interpersonal style) in order to increase self-efficacy, therapeutic alliance, treatability, and readiness, and to reduce perceived coercion in order to aid engagement and success in treatment. A sample of 11 male HRPP inmates had data collected before and after their 17-week first phase of the 10 month three-phase programme. Treatment contact comprised four sessions per week, including three group sessions of 2.5 hours, and 1 individual session of one hour, as well as a two-hour group cultural session that focused on Maori cultural identity (10 of the 11 men were Maori). The battery of tests employed included the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire; the responsivity and readiness scales of the Treatment Readiness Responsivity and Gain Scale; the Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire, the Paulhus Deception Scale, and the therapist and client versions of the Working Alliance Inventory Short Form, the Perceived Coercion Scale, and an evaluation questionnaire. Demographic data was also collected. The results indicated that the majority of the participants came to the intervention ready or motivated to change. Perceived coercion remained low throughout the programme, representing the participant’s voluntary status. On average participants’ levels of self-efficacy and treatability (except callousness) improved significantly over the course of the treatment. Differing levels of improvement were found for the client and therapist perspective of the therapeutic alliance, indicating they interpreted the alliance differently. Participants with high PCL-R factor one scores showed a decrease in coercion, compared to an increase by their counterparts with low PCL-R factor one scores. Participants with high PCL-R factor one scores also had higher overall scores on the CVTRQ readiness measure, and the participant’s perspective of the therapeutic alliance. Individually, six of the treatment participants made significant improvements on at least five of the seven responsivity measures. These findings and their implications for treatment of psychopathic offenders are discussed, along with the relevance of the study’s responsivity measures, the strengths and limitations of the research project, and future research in this area.

text: Evaluation of treatment responsivity in a psychopathic prison treatment sample Although punishment still dominates the criminal justice system, the progression of research on offending and imprisonment has led to a general consensus that rehabilitation programmes are the appropriate method to effectively reduce both recidivism and prison populations. Hence, many effective offender treatment programmes have been developed. This thesis evaluated phase one of a 10 month pilot treatment programme which used the theories and principles of effective programming to develop an effective programme for male high risk violent offenders assessed with elevated psychopathic personality (High Risk Personality Programme; HRPP), a population of offenders that is often regarded as treatment resistant. Specifically, phase one of the HRPP was designed to address the participants’ responsivity barriers (namely, antisocial interpersonal style) in order to increase self-efficacy, therapeutic alliance, treatability, and readiness, and to reduce perceived coercion in order to aid engagement and success in treatment. A sample of 11 male HRPP inmates had data collected before and after their 17-week first phase of the 10 month three-phase programme. Treatment contact comprised four sessions per week, including three group sessions of 2.5 hours, and 1 individual session of one hour, as well as a two-hour group cultural session that focused on Maori cultural identity (10 of the 11 men were Maori). The battery of tests employed included the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire; the responsivity and readiness scales of the Treatment Readiness Responsivity and Gain Scale; the Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire, the Paulhus Deception Scale, and the therapist and client versions of the Working Alliance Inventory Short Form, the Perceived Coercion Scale, and an evaluation questionnaire. Demographic data was also collected. The results indicated that the majority of the participants came to the intervention ready or motivated to change. Perceived coercion remained low throughout the programme, representing the participant’s voluntary status. On average participants’ levels of self-efficacy and treatability (except callousness) improved significantly over the course of the treatment. Differing levels of improvement were found for the client and therapist perspective of the therapeutic alliance, indicating they interpreted the alliance differently. Participants with high PCL-R factor one scores showed a decrease in coercion, compared to an increase by their counterparts with low PCL-R factor one scores. Participants with high PCL-R factor one scores also had higher overall scores on the CVTRQ readiness measure, and the participant’s perspective of the therapeutic alliance. Individually, six of the treatment participants made significant improvements on at least five of the seven responsivity measures. These findings and their implications for treatment of psychopathic offenders are discussed, along with the relevance of the study’s responsivity measures, the strengths and limitations of the research project, and future research in this area.

year: 2010

title: He pakiriha

authors: Temara, Pou

subjects: Tikanga

abstract: Kua tae ki te wā hai kōrero i ētahi tikanga marae, ētahi tikanga kawa e kawa ana ki tā te mātanga titiro. Tērā ētahi tikanga e whakamahia ana e ngā kaumātua o nāianei e uru atu ana ki te pae o rorirori, ka mutu, e ai ki tā ngā kaumātua nei, ko te mutunga mai o te tika ā rātau i whakatau ai. Nā hei whakarāpopoto i te whakaaro whānui, i ētahi wā kāore ko te mea e tika ana ki ō tātau whakaaro te huarahi pai. Ko tā te tikanga he kimi i te huarahi e tika ana, kia kore ai e whara ngā whakaaro o te tangata. Ko te tikanga ehara i te mea i whakairotia ki te kōhatu, engari e taea ana te neke i ngā pae o te tikanga kia pai ai te whakahaere a te tangata i āna mahi, kia tau ai te rangimārie, kia mau tonu ai te mana o te tangata. E whakapae ana ahau e kūmea ana e ētahi kaumātua ētahi tikanga kia hāngai ki tā rātau i whakaaro ai kai te tika, kai te hē rānei. Mā ētahi tauira e mārama ai te kaipānui ki te kaupapa me te whakaaro o te kaituhi.

text: He pakiriha Kua tae ki te wā hai kōrero i ētahi tikanga marae, ētahi tikanga kawa e kawa ana ki tā te mātanga titiro. Tērā ētahi tikanga e whakamahia ana e ngā kaumātua o nāianei e uru atu ana ki te pae o rorirori, ka mutu, e ai ki tā ngā kaumātua nei, ko te mutunga mai o te tika ā rātau i whakatau ai. Nā hei whakarāpopoto i te whakaaro whānui, i ētahi wā kāore ko te mea e tika ana ki ō tātau whakaaro te huarahi pai. Ko tā te tikanga he kimi i te huarahi e tika ana, kia kore ai e whara ngā whakaaro o te tangata. Ko te tikanga ehara i te mea i whakairotia ki te kōhatu, engari e taea ana te neke i ngā pae o te tikanga kia pai ai te whakahaere a te tangata i āna mahi, kia tau ai te rangimārie, kia mau tonu ai te mana o te tangata. E whakapae ana ahau e kūmea ana e ētahi kaumātua ētahi tikanga kia hāngai ki tā rātau i whakaaro ai kai te tika, kai te hē rānei. Mā ētahi tauira e mārama ai te kaipānui ki te kaupapa me te whakaaro o te kaituhi.

year: 2017

title: Life in the shadow of the media: Imaging street homelessness in London

authors: Hodgetts, Darrin

subjects: audience

abstract: Media images pervading everyday life often reproduce inequitable social relations that adversely affect the lives of vulnerable people. This article explores the influence of media representations of homelessness as a source of characterizations that are used by homeless people when representing themselves. To do this, it draws on life narrative interviews, photographic exercises and phogo-based discussions with 12 single rough sleepers from London. It documents how participants both reproduce common media storylines foregrounding their differences from housed people and emphasizes aspects of their lives that do not feature in media portrayals, but which invoke their `normality'.

text: Life in the shadow of the media: Imaging street homelessness in London Media images pervading everyday life often reproduce inequitable social relations that adversely affect the lives of vulnerable people. This article explores the influence of media representations of homelessness as a source of characterizations that are used by homeless people when representing themselves. To do this, it draws on life narrative interviews, photographic exercises and phogo-based discussions with 12 single rough sleepers from London. It documents how participants both reproduce common media storylines foregrounding their differences from housed people and emphasizes aspects of their lives that do not feature in media portrayals, but which invoke their `normality'.

year: 2006