Violent offender treatment in a medium secure unit

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to conduct a preliminary evaluation of a Violent Offender Treatment Program (VOTP) adapted for use in a medium secure unit (MSU). The patient population is adult male mentally disordered offenders.

Design/methodology/approach

Patient outcomes are explored using the Reliable Change Index and Clinical Significance Criterion. Outcomes are assessed using VOTP facilitators violence risk assessment (VRS), multi-disciplinary team violence risk assessment (HCR-20 and GAS-V), and patient self-report using two measures (FAVT and STAXI-2).

Findings

There was evidence of improved outcomes for some participants in some areas related to risk of violence.

Research limitations/implications

Consideration is given to using varied risk assessments to evaluate outcomes of an adapted VOTP for a MSU.

Originality/value

There is limited development and evaluation of psychological treatment programmes that aim to reduce risk of violence for male offenders within MSUs. Outcomes of this evaluation could influence treatment delivery and evaluation in other services.

Citation

Howden, S., Midgley, J. and Hargate, R. (2018), "Violent offender treatment in a medium secure unit", The Journal of Forensic Practice, Vol. 20 No. 2, pp. 102-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-06-2017-0019