Expertise and child sex offenders

Fortune, Clare‐Ann; Bourke, Patrice; Ward, Tony

doi:10.1016/j.avb.2014.12.005

Cited by 14 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…This picture of the dysregulated offender may have overshadowed the fact that at least certain types of crime benefit from advanced skill sets (Grasmick, Tittle, Bursik, & Arneklev, 1993). Consider the significant technical knowledge and skill associated with computer hacking (Holt, Bossler, & Seigfried-Spellar, 2015); the competent interpersonal skill displayed in certain forms of identity theft (Vieraitis, Copes, Powell, & Pike, 2015); or the planning, grooming, and deception required to elude detection in the predatory child molester (Fortune, Bourke, & Ward, 2015;Ward, 1999). Such "expertise" has also been reported in social cue processing in street criminals (Topalli, 2005); the procedural scripts of arsonists (Butler & Gannon, 2015); the practiced coercion and control used in the planning and execution of murder (Brookman, 2015), domestic abuse (Day & Bowen, 2015), and rape Ó Ciardha, 2015; and finally the perceptual and procedural scripts of carjackers (Topalli, Jacques, & Wright, 2015).…”

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confidence: 99%

Learning on the job: Studying expertise in residential burglars using virtual environments*

et al. 2019

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In this article, we describe a quasi‐experiment in which experienced incarcerated burglars (n = 56), other offenders (n = 50), and nonoffenders (n = 55) undertook a mock burglary within a virtual neighborhood. We draw from the cognitive psychology literature on expertise and apply it to offending behavior, demonstrating synergy with rational choice perspectives, yet extending them in several respects. Our principal goal was to carry out the first robust test of expertise in offenders by having these groups undertake a burglary in a fully fledged reenactment of a crime in a virtual environment. Our findings indicate that the virtual environment successfully reinstated the context of the crime showing clear differences in the decision making of burglars compared with other groups in ways commensurate with expertise in other behavioral domains. Specifically, burglars scoped the neighborhood more thoroughly, spent more time in the high‐value areas of the crime scene while traveling less distance there, and targeted different goods from the comparison groups. The level of detail in the data generated sheds new light on the cognitive processes and actions of burglars and how they “learn on the job.” Implications for criminal decision‐making perspectives and psychological theories of expertise are discussed.

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confidence: 99%

Learning on the job: Studying expertise in residential burglars using virtual environments*

et al. 2019

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“…1. Automatic, unintentional, pre-conscious appraisal of the environment that cannot be turned For offenders, most evidence comes from empirical work associated with decision-making in burglars (see Nee, 2015 for a review) but superior knowledge of cues, script-like knowledge and ease/automaticity of behaviour have been cited frequently in interview studies in the emerging literature, for example, implicit planning in child sex offenders and identity thieves (Ward & Hudson, 2000;Vieraitis, Copes, Powell & Pike, 2015) and use of automatic scripts in sex offenders (Bourke, Ward & Rose, 2012;Fortune, Bourke & Ward, 2015), firesetters (Butler & Gannon, 2015), and carjackers (Topalli, Jacques & Wright, 2015).…”

Section: Functional and Dysfunctional Expertisementioning

confidence: 99%

Expertise and its contribution to the notion of protective factors in offender rehabilitation and desistance

Nee¹,

Vernham²

2017

Aggression and Violent Behavior

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In the field of offender corrections, a preoccupation with risk prediction has come at the expense of explanation, and an overemphasis on risk factors has come at the expense of understanding protective factors. Some strides have been made in describing and categorising the types of factors that protect young people from a life of crime, or promote competencies and potentials that help them avoid it altogether. We argue, however, that like the field of dynamic risk factors, we know very little about the nature and function of these features, beyond describing them.The article describes theory and research associated with expertise and its qualities and value as both a risk and a protective factor in the prevention of crime. It draws from literature in forensic psychology, criminology, resilience and neuroscience.

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“…Offence scripts (often thought to manifest themselves within dynamic risk factors, e.g., offence-supportive beliefs; Bourke, Ward & Rose, 2012) aid the decision-making process for committing an offence. Thus, any new knowledge obtained during the offence process will amend these scripts causing the individual to conduct their next offence in a different manner, depending on what the offender has previously learnt and experienced (Fortune, Bourke & Ward, 2015). Every offence committed can therefore be viewed as a learning curve that improves the individuals' offence-related strategies, competencies and skills, enhancing their capabilities in that particular domain (crime).…”

Section: Expertise In Offendersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is some suggestion in early studies that a feeling of elation and relief ensues (Katz, 1988, Wright & Decker, 1994 and that the offender returns to his more chaotic lifestyle (Clare, 2011). However, whether the offender becomes more reflective at this stage (as has been noted in studies of child sexual offenders; Bourke et al, 2012;Fortune et al, 2015) has not been studied, and may play a strong role in intervention. In line with contemporary models of human agency (Bratman, 1999), reflection on performance, which is not necessarily deliberative or fully conscious, may result in a subtle revision of goals, plans and strategies for future actions (Heffernan & Ward, 2015;Ward 2015).…”

Section: The Howmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the right contexts (which might arise through practiced planning), these vulnerabilities may result in criminal behaviour. Over the years (Bourke et al, 2012;Deslauriers-Varin & Beauregard, 2010;Fortune et al, 2015;Leclerc, Carpentier & Proulx, 2006;Ward, 1999;Ward & Hudson, 2000) a picture of the cognitive processes of the experienced sexual offender has emerged that, like those of acquisitive offenders, fit well with Nee and Ward's (2015) four stage model of dysfunctional expertise.…”

Section: Dysfunctional Expertise and Dynamic Risk Factors In Child Sementioning

confidence: 99%

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Dysfunctional expertise and its relationship with dynamic risk factors in offenders

Vernham

Nee

2015

Psychology, Crime & Law

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Predicting the risk an offender poses is vital for protecting the public and/or the offender themselves; thus reducing recidivism rates. Dynamic risk factors are useful for informing treatment programmes because of their changeability. However, the current conceptualisation of dynamic risk factors has recently been under scrutiny within the rehabilitation literature, because their categorical nature lacks description and cannot explain the underlying causal mechanisms of offending behaviours. Expertise is a new area within the rehabilitation literature that examines the decision-making processes involved across the offending episode (prior, during, and after a crime). It is one example of how looking more closely at the processes the offender employs across the offending episode might help to understand more clearly some of the mechanisms underlying dynamic risk factors. This article first discusses the literature and theoretical models that have been proposed with regard to risk prediction and offender expertise, before exploring the links between the two. Using a theoretical framework, which moves away from a deficit-based focus to one in which emphasis is placed on the offender's own personal agency, the authors describe how the competencies underpinning cognition can be used as a starting point for positive change. Implications for offender treatments are discussed.

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Expertise and child sex offenders

Cited by 14 publications

References 27 publications

Learning on the job: Studying expertise in residential burglars using virtual environments*

Learning on the job: Studying expertise in residential burglars using virtual environments*

Expertise and its contribution to the notion of protective factors in offender rehabilitation and desistance

Dysfunctional expertise and its relationship with dynamic risk factors in offenders

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