Getting the Balance Right: The Issues of Rights and Responsibilities in Learning Disability

Is the Good Lives Model of offender treatment relevant to sex offenders with a learning disability?

“…However, Valuing People made little mention of the needs of offenders with a learning disability (Beacock, 2005); or the complexities of adopting a person-centred approach with this group. Service users who have been convicted of a sexual offence may be detained under the Mental Health Act 2007 and be subject to considerable restrictions over which they have no control (Riding, 2004;Bowen, 2007).…”

“…However, the need to adopt a person-centred approach with this group presents challenges; it can be stated that services have an obligation to manage risk and protect the public from harm (Holland et al, 2002;Proctor, 2004). Practitioners may be attempting to use these approaches with people who have committed serious offences and continue to present with risky thoughts or cognitive distortions (Riding, 2004).…”