Investigating the heterogeneity of violent crimes: A descriptive analysis of offence characteristics

<p>Informed by theories on offending behaviour, violent offender rehabilitation programmes aim to provide treatment to a group of individuals who have committed a diverse range of offences, from assault to aggravated robbery to murder. Yet despite progress with specific offence types (e.g., homicide, robbery, assault), there is no research describing the offence chain characteristics of such a heterogeneous sample of violent offences. This exploratory study uses the structured approach of the Pathways Model of Assault (PMA; Chambers, 2006) to code and catalogue similarities and differences in the offence characteristics of an archival heterogeneous sample of violent offences. Cluster analysis was also utilised to investigate whether it was possible to construct a parsimonious series of pathways to represent the offence process for this diverse sample. The resultant model, the Pathways Model of Violent Offences (PMVO) was constructed and 12 pathways were revealed. The results suggest that upon initial investigation, there appear to be common, shared characteristics among a heterogeneous sample of violent offences.</p>

Investigating the heterogeneity of violent crimes: A descriptive analysis of offence characteristics

<p>Informed by theories on offending behaviour, violent offender rehabilitation programmes aim to provide treatment to a group of individuals who have committed a diverse range of offences, from assault to aggravated robbery to murder. Yet despite progress with specific offence types (e.g., homicide, robbery, assault), there is no research describing the offence chain characteristics of such a heterogeneous sample of violent offences. This exploratory study uses the structured approach of the Pathways Model of Assault (PMA; Chambers, 2006) to code and catalogue similarities and differences in the offence characteristics of an archival heterogeneous sample of violent offences. Cluster analysis was also utilised to investigate whether it was possible to construct a parsimonious series of pathways to represent the offence process for this diverse sample. The resultant model, the Pathways Model of Violent Offences (PMVO) was constructed and 12 pathways were revealed. The results suggest that upon initial investigation, there appear to be common, shared characteristics among a heterogeneous sample of violent offences.</p>

Investigating the Relationship Between the Therapeutic Alliance and Treatment Outcome in Violent Offender Treatment

<p>The role of the therapeutic alliance (TA) has largely been ignored in the field of high-risk violent offender treatment. The focus on effective manualised treatment that reduces recidivism has led to improvements in treatment programme delivery, but at the cost of examining the therapy process. Considering previous research has consistently linked levels of alliance with treatment outcome in clinical and community treatment settings, it is imperative to investigate the role of the TA within high-risk violent offender treatment, because of the particularly challenging group that they represent. The aim of this thesis was to examine the relationship between the TA and treatment outcome, and the various factors that influence this relationship, within a violence prevention setting. To achieve this aim, a longitudinal study was conducted at the Rimutaka Violence Prevention Unit (RVPU) in Wellington, New Zealand, with a cohort of 70 men in treatment and their therapists, examining the TA, treatment outcome and associated variables over four time points throughout the eight month treatment programme. The results of this research are reported as four related studies. Study One explored the structure and patterns of the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI). Study One Part A was a Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the WAI, which tested the competing models of the factor structure of the WAI and explored whether rater perspective (client, therapist, observer) had an effect on the structure. It was found that a two-factor structure was the best fit for the WAI, and that all rater perspectives shared this structure. Study One Part B explored the pattern of the WAI over the four time periods of this study in order 8 to understand how the WAI changes over time, and whether this pattern differed by rater perspective. The results confirmed that changes in all rater perspectives showed a linearly increasing pattern of alliance over time. Study Two explored the client factors that affect the initial formation of the TA and examined whether these factors were specific to an "offender" or "general" client profile informed by previous research. Two client factors specific to an offender profile - motivation to change and criminal attitudes - were found to be significantly associated with the initial formation of the TA. Study Three examined the relationship between the TA and treatment outcome, and explored whether there were any factors that co-varied with or moderated this relationship. A small but significant association between alliance and outcome was found; however no significant co-varying or moderating factors were discovered. Lastly, Study Four drew together the data from Study Two and Study Three and tested whether these results fit the Revised Theory of the Therapeutic Alliance (RTTA) model (Ross, Polaschek, & Ward, 2008), or other models previously reported in the literature. Several significant models were found that partly supported the RTTA. The best of these models incorporated client motivation to change, TA and treatment outcome as measured by change in risk of violent reoffending. Overall, the results of this study support the importance of the TA and client motivation to change in violent offender treatment. The implications for these results and the clinical applications are discussed, limitations are outlined, and directions for future research are suggested.</p>

Investigating the Relationship Between the Therapeutic Alliance and Treatment Outcome in Violent Offender Treatment

<p>The role of the therapeutic alliance (TA) has largely been ignored in the field of high-risk violent offender treatment. The focus on effective manualised treatment that reduces recidivism has led to improvements in treatment programme delivery, but at the cost of examining the therapy process. Considering previous research has consistently linked levels of alliance with treatment outcome in clinical and community treatment settings, it is imperative to investigate the role of the TA within high-risk violent offender treatment, because of the particularly challenging group that they represent. The aim of this thesis was to examine the relationship between the TA and treatment outcome, and the various factors that influence this relationship, within a violence prevention setting. To achieve this aim, a longitudinal study was conducted at the Rimutaka Violence Prevention Unit (RVPU) in Wellington, New Zealand, with a cohort of 70 men in treatment and their therapists, examining the TA, treatment outcome and associated variables over four time points throughout the eight month treatment programme. The results of this research are reported as four related studies. Study One explored the structure and patterns of the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI). Study One Part A was a Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the WAI, which tested the competing models of the factor structure of the WAI and explored whether rater perspective (client, therapist, observer) had an effect on the structure. It was found that a two-factor structure was the best fit for the WAI, and that all rater perspectives shared this structure. Study One Part B explored the pattern of the WAI over the four time periods of this study in order 8 to understand how the WAI changes over time, and whether this pattern differed by rater perspective. The results confirmed that changes in all rater perspectives showed a linearly increasing pattern of alliance over time. Study Two explored the client factors that affect the initial formation of the TA and examined whether these factors were specific to an "offender" or "general" client profile informed by previous research. Two client factors specific to an offender profile - motivation to change and criminal attitudes - were found to be significantly associated with the initial formation of the TA. Study Three examined the relationship between the TA and treatment outcome, and explored whether there were any factors that co-varied with or moderated this relationship. A small but significant association between alliance and outcome was found; however no significant co-varying or moderating factors were discovered. Lastly, Study Four drew together the data from Study Two and Study Three and tested whether these results fit the Revised Theory of the Therapeutic Alliance (RTTA) model (Ross, Polaschek, & Ward, 2008), or other models previously reported in the literature. Several significant models were found that partly supported the RTTA. The best of these models incorporated client motivation to change, TA and treatment outcome as measured by change in risk of violent reoffending. Overall, the results of this study support the importance of the TA and client motivation to change in violent offender treatment. The implications for these results and the clinical applications are discussed, limitations are outlined, and directions for future research are suggested.</p>

An Assessment of Prisoner Reentry, Legal Financial Obligations and Family Financial Support: A Focus on Fathers

Scholars have found that family support is an important facilitator of successful reentry from prison to the community. At the same time, they have argued that owing court-ordered fines or fees, also called legal financial obligations (LFOs), can act as an additional barrier to reentry, especially for parents. There remains a need to test how LFOs impact the financial support formerly incarcerated parents receive from their families. The current study responds to this gap by employing logistic regression analyses of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) data to test whether owing court fees is associated with formerly incarcerated fathers’ (1) perceptions of available financial support from family and (2) receipt of financial support from family. We find that owing court fees is not associated with perceptions of available financial support. However, owing court fees has a positive, statistically significant association with receiving financial support from family during the first three months after prison release. This relationship remains after accounting for whether the person owes child support or sees their children monthly. Our results suggest that LFOs may create a greater need for financial support among formerly incarcerated fathers, making the financial challenges of reentry a consequence not just for those who were incarcerated but for their loved ones as well.

Prison Visitation and the Likelihood of Post-Release Employment

Formerly incarcerated people have a difficult time finding employment upon release. Research has suggested the effectiveness in utilizing one’s social capital and social networks, particularly through family, as a means of securing stable employment post-prison. However, the social connections necessary—maintained via prison visitation—are often weakened due to long-term incarceration and multiple prison stints. Data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) are used to investigate whether individuals were able to find employment within 3 months after release. Results suggest that individuals who have committed serious crimes likely have more strained family relationships; making family members’ willingness to vouch for employment on their behalf, less likely. Implications regarding policy and practice for corrections and reentry are discussed.

Integrating the Literature on Lethal Violence: A Comparison of Mass Murder, Homicide, and Homicide-Suicide

Although mass murder is traditionally examined as a separate construct from homicide generally, few studies have explored their similarities and differences. This study compares the incident, victim, and offender characteristics of: (1) mass murderers and homicide offenders; and (2) mass murder-suicide offenders and homicide-suicide perpetrators. Mass murderers are more likely to be male; commit suicide; kill young, white, and female victims; use firearms; co-offend; operate in public places; and kill as part of drug trafficking and/or gang warfare. The analysis demonstrates that mass murderers are distinct from both homicide and homicide-suicide perpetrators, and represent a unique type of violent offender.

The Effect of Individual Characteristics and Supervision Experiences on the Perceived Quality of the Supervision Relationship

Research has shown that high-quality relationships between individuals on probation/parole and their supervising officers can reduce recidivism and increase compliance. Although this relationship clearly matters, little attention has been given to understanding the factors that influence this relationship. Drawing on research in psychology and counseling, this study explores how both individual characteristics and supervision experiences affect the perceived quality of the supervision relationship. Results from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) reveal that both individual characteristics—such as mental health and family support—and supervision experiences—such as the use of sanctions and incentives—exert significant effects on the supervision relationship. Yet, the effects of supervision experiences were substantially more robust than the individual characteristics. Findings suggest community supervision agencies should prioritize positive supervision experiences to build positive relationships between the returning person and supervising officer.