Group-work for offender patients on sex offending in a high security hospital: Investigating aspects of impact via qualitative analysis

Experiences of engaging in psychotherapeutic interventions for sexual offending behaviours: A meta-synthesis

“…Participants found it helpful to engage in therapy alongside others who had similar difficulties, as it facilitated reciprocal understandings of experiences and reduced feelings of isolation (Clarke, Tapp, Lord, & Moore, 2013;Collins et al, 2010;Garrett et al, 2003;Wakeling et al, 2005). However, group therapy was only effective if members were able to trust one another enough to feel safe in the group, allowing members to share and discuss offence details without feeling judged, which fostered further honesty and accountability (Grady & Brodersen, 2008).…”

“…A lack of openness or a breach of confidentiality could undermine trust among group members rendering therapy ineffective (Clarke et al, 2013;Wakeling et al, 2005). Participants also felt group therapy could be harmful, as it could trigger thoughts about offending behaviours (Clarke et al, 2013;Garrett et al, 2003) or reinforce offence-supportive attitudes: ''A bunch of paedophiles sit in a room acting [out] what they did to the victims, [enjoying] it in some way'' (Colton et al, 2009, p. 330).…”

“…every time someone would lie to him, or not tell him what he wanted to hear, they got booted'' (Connor et al, 2011, p. 14). Feeling threatened, judged or criticised inhibited honest and open communication (Connor et al, 2011;Drapeau, Korner, Granger, & Brunet, 2005), increasing the likelihood of resistance and disengagement (Clarke et al, 2013;Williams, 2004). Participants also experienced difficulties when therapists were unavailable (Wakeling et al, 2005) or were inconsistent in providing structure:…”

“…Participants also felt group therapy could be harmful, as it could trigger thoughts about offending behaviours (Clarke et al, 2013;Garrett et al, 2003) or reinforce offence-supportive attitudes: ''A bunch of paedophiles sit in a room acting [out] what they did to the victims, [enjoying] it in some way'' (Colton et al, 2009, p. 330).…”

A mixed-methods study exploring the characteristics and needs of long-stay patients in high and medium secure settings in England: implications for service organisation

“…Ford et al 47 and Yorston and Taylor 52 ) and their time-use through participation in therapeutic and occupational activities. [53][54][55][56] In one interesting study, the perceptions of male offenders with psychosis of determinants of LoS in high secure care appear to have much in common with what one would expect in the wider community; patients in the sample tended to favour at least 5 years of detention in a secure hospital for a person with psychosis who had killed another, regardless of their mental state, but for minor property damage they felt that improvement in mental state should be the key determinant of discharge. 57 There is, however, little research explicitly exploring the views of long-stay patients on their experiences of care and desired service provision.…”