The impact of a brief structured intervention on young offenders masculine identity: a mixed methods study

Masculinity in young men can be considered a dynamic risk factor. There is a call for programs and initiatives that not only engage adolescent boys in masculinity issues but also promote positive constructs of masculinity. The ‘Man-up’ programme is designed to support men and young men to explore the ways in which the concept of masculinity contributes to shaping their individual identity. The aim of this research evaluation was to explore young offenders’ perceptions of the programme and whether the programme contributed to any personal change/development and what core learning they took from the course. The evaluation utilised a mixed-methods programme of research to address these aims. The quantitative results found that there was a pre/post course reduction in ‘toughness’ and increases in self-esteem and risk-taking perceptions. The qualitative results identified 4 superordinate themes ‘reconstruing masculine self’, ‘self-realisation, awareness and reflection’, ‘group dynamics and course relationships’ and ‘unintended consequences’. The course assisted participants in helping to reconstrue aspects of being a man, made them think about the future and allowed for participants to consider their possible and desired selves. However, for some participants, the course appeared to reinforce some traditional stereotypical beliefs. The implications for course and recommendations are unpacked in the report

'Better as a Buddhist': an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the reflections on the religious beliefs of Buddhist men serving a prison sentence for a sexual offence

This paper presents a qualitative analysis of the accounts offered by individuals (n=7) convicted of a sexual offence who describe themselves as Buddhists. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews within a custodial environment and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). This paper presents the two superordinate themes that emerged from the data: (i) Better as a Buddhist and (ii) Ebb and Flow. Reflections and analysis from the Buddhist prison chaplain are integrated within the analysis of prisoner-participant data. Implications of the analysis are discussed with reference to interventions that use Buddhist principles, factors that underpin factors that help reduce reoffending and those that fit with the formation of a desistance narrative for religious individuals who have committed sexual offences

Polo like kinase 2 tumour suppressor and cancer biomarker: new perspectives on drug sensitivity/resistance in ovarian cancer

The polo-like kinase PLK2 has recently been identified as a potential theranostic marker in the management of chemotherapy sensitive cancers. The methylation status of the PLK2 CpG island varies with sensitivity to paclitaxel and platinum in ovarian cancer cell lines. Importantly, extrapolation of these in vitro data to the clinical setting confirms that the methylation status of the PLK2 CpG island predicts outcomes in patients treated with carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy. A second cell cycle regulator, p57Kip2, is also subject to epigenetic silencing in carboplatin resistance in vitro and in vivo, emphasising that cell cycle regulators are important determinants of sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents and providing insights into the phenomenon of collateral drug sensitivity in oncology. Understanding the mechanistic basis and identification of robust biomarkers to predict collateral sensitivity may inform optimal use of chemotherapy in patients receiving multiple lines of treatment

Prisoners’ perceptions of care and rehabilitation from prison officers trained as 5 minute interventionists: analytical summary

The Five Minute Intervention (FMI) project trained prison officers to turn everyday conversations into rehabilitative opportunities using skills such as Socratic questioning, active listening, and affirmation. Webster and Kenny (2015) reported on the experiences of prison officers involved in the FMI pilot. This research reports on the experiences of ten male prisoners who participated in FMI conversations with prison officers. FMI training now forms part of the national training programme for prison staff

Sector well-being differences among UK police custody staff

The research explores a new model of staff well-being across UK police custodial services (public and private). These services are unique for the fact that police sergeant custody officers are supported by detention officers who can be publicly or privately contracted, with the latter providing a heterogeneous mix never previously researched. The model informs a survey approach conducted across four English police forces. Drawing on a diverse literature which compares health and criminal justice professions, this study explores the possibility that private sector detention officers will report lower levels of emotional exhaustion and workplace stress and higher levels of personal accomplishment than their public sector counterparts. Multilevel analyses, supplemented by ANOVA and t tests, detected statistically significant differences for private sector detention officers regarding higher levels of emotional exhaustion and lower levels of personal accomplishment and workplace stress (with the stress result the only one in the predicted direction). However, results should be interpreted as sample specific linked to privately contracted detention officer disquiet with their then employer (since replaced). That said, the results provide a good exploration of the model's utility together with important lessons for model and survey development in the future

"A different world" exploring and understanding the climate of a recently re-rolled sexual offender prison

Understanding how sexual offenders experience prison and its environment is important because such experiences can impact on rehabilitation outcomes. The purpose of this research investigation was to explore the rehabilitative and therapeutic climate of a recently re-rolled sexual offender prison. The research took a mixed methods approach and consisted of quantitative and qualitative phases. There were differences between prisoners and staff on their perception of the prison climate and for prisoner and staff relationships. The qualitative results helped to explain the quantitative findings and added a more nuanced understanding of the experience of the prison, the nature of prisoner and staff relationships and the opportunities for personal growth within the prison. The study has important implications for prisons that co-locate sexual offenders and want to provide an environment conducive to rehabilitation

Exploring the therapeutic and rehabilitative climate of three prisons for men with sexual convictions

There is a lack of research on the rehabilitative climate of prisons for men with sexual convictions and the impact this could have on their rehabilitation. This research aims to explore the therapeutic and rehabilitative climate of three prisons for men with sexual convictions and to provide new understandings on what is important for a prison to be rehabilitative. It compares the rehabilitative and therapeutic climate of three prisons housing men with sexual convictions. It explores key pathways through which correlates of prison climate, for example, prisoner-staff relationships and beliefs about change, are associated with rehabilitative climate and treatment readiness. The results found that prisons with established rehabilitative track records scored more highly on key determinants of a rehabilitative climate. Path analysis revealed prisoner–staff relationships predicted treatment readiness but that this relationship was fully mediated by rehabilitative climate, suggesting that rehabilitative climate plays a pivotal role in how prisoner–staff relationships affect treatment readiness. Implications for practice are discussed

Re-configuring fatherhood: evaluating the impact of a prison-based fathering intervention

Children may experience multiple adverse outcomes when a parent is incarcerated, and many incarcerated fathers experience parental stress. High parental stress negatively impacts wellbeing, parenting quality and prison adjustment. Despite evidence that maintaining parent-child relationships and fostering positive fathering identities can support desistance, understanding of these mechanisms remains limited, and more research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions which address these challenges in prison settings. This mixed-methods study aimed to evaluate Fathers Inside, a program aimed at developing positive fathering roles in prison. Twenty-seven fathers took part in the program, delivered in a UK prison. Their parental stress, wellbeing, judgmental attitudes, personal growth, locus of control, and self-esteem were measured before and after program participation. Pre- and post-program scores, and the Reliable Change Index were used to examine differences. While post-program scores showed no significant difference for any measures, on an individual level, several participants showed reliable change and clinical improvements using Reliable Change Index. Additionally, between 45 and 85% of participants’ scores were already comparable to the general population before commencement. Emerging themes in interviews included the reconfiguration of fatherhood roles from prison, allowing fathers to adapt to parenting at a distance, reframing fathering roles, accepting past mistakes, developing honesty as a value, and improving authentic communication with their children. The Fathers Inside program has the potential to help individuals reconstrue their fathering role in prison, reduce parental stress, thereby increasing adjustment to prison, and improve the parent-child relationship through authentic communication

The Treatment Needs and Experiences of Pedohebephiles: A Systematic Review

People with a sexual interest in children face significant barriers to seeking and receiving mental health treatment. This review aims to bridge the gap between the treatment needs and experiences of pedohebephiles, and the services aiming to support them. Reviewers screened 1705 database hits and extracted findings from 22 qualitative, 15 quantitative, and 3 mixed-method studies on the treatment needs and experiences of pedohebephiles. Research suggests that this population experiences signifi-cant levels of distress, depression, and anxiety related to their sexual interest. Many individuals belonging to this population would seek (median = 42.3%), or have sought (median = 46.5%), treatment to cope with their sexual interest or with potential related mental health repercussions. Their experiences in treatment have been mixed, with some reporting positive experiences with empathic therapists and others reporting rejection. Most frequently, pedohebephiles report fear of exposure and rejection as barriers to seeking treatment, in addition to fear of the legal repercussions. The current study is the first to summarize and discuss previous findings on the treatment needs and experiences of pedohebephiles. The findings indicate that the treatment needs of pedohebephiles often remain unaddressed