Forensic Psychology For Dummies (122 page)

Present:
Counselling to assist offenders to cope with their current circumstances, for example reducing the risk of suicide in prison or helping people who’ve recently been given a life sentence.

Future:
Trying to determine what risks individuals pose to themselves and others and the most appropriate way of managing those risks (I discuss risk assessment further in Chapter 10). These assessments may relate to managing these individuals within a specific institution or determining the risks of releasing them into the wider community.

Assessing effectively: Horses for courses

For any work with offenders to be effective, it needs to start with some form of assessment (just as a doctor diagnoses a patient’s problem to decide on the most appropriate form of treatment). Many reasons for criminal behaviour exist, and so a careful analysis of each individual’s circumstances can help to guide the process of intervention.

In a psychological context, one specific cause – such as a mental abnormality or a particular experience (such as sexual abuse as a child) – is very unlikely to explain criminal behaviour, although these aspects can be important contributing factors. Instead, assessment includes forming a broader understanding of an individual and his life and all relevant aspects. Assessment takes on board the fact that plenty of people suffer particular traumas and yet don’t commit crimes, and so understanding the full context out of which a person’s offending grows is important.

Most of the psychological measurement procedures that I mention in chapters 9 and 10, also play a part in getting a grip on an offender’s particular problems. In some cases, the assessment may just be an induction interview, explaining how the prison works and what’s expected of the prisoner. But in more forward-thinking prisons, an assessment takes place of two distinct aspects of the inmate:

Issues directly relevant to the person’s criminality
,
such as substance abuse, attitude to employment and their background in crime.

Broader issues of the person for which they may need help
,
such as depression, low self-esteem or any mental health problems. Even day-to-day problems such as the difficulty of finding a place to live may be important to note so that they can be dealt with before release.

One standard measurement procedure, developed by psychologists and gaining in popularity, used for assessing offenders when they first arrive in prison is the
Level of Service Inventory.
This procedure consists of 54 questions that explore ten aspects relevant to determining how a person should be dealt with in prison and the forms of intervention that are likely to be most relevant. The inventory covers a person’s:

Criminal history and experiences.

Educational and any employment history.

Financial aspects.

Family/marital issues, including upbringing and family background.

Accommodation history and experiences.

Leisure/recreation preferences.