An examination of current practice and new developments in the forensic assessment of offenders

Exploring and understanding the practice of accurately assessing offenders is an important area of research for forensic practice and the risk management of offenders. This thesis aims to explore different approaches to offender assessment, specifically their clinical utility in forensic mental health settings. The first chapter, provides an introduction to the importance of accurate offender assessment, and presents current models proposed within the literature. The second chapter, provides a systematic review of historically used approaches in the assessment of risk, and compares their predictive accuracy and clinical utility in relation to a mentally disordered offending population. The third chapter, critically appraises a widely used assessment tool to assess risk within forensic mental health settings, the HCR-20 (Version 3.0; Douglas, Hart, Webster & Belfrage, 2013). The fourth chapter, moves way from specific tools used in current practice and instead explores clinicians current understanding and use of newer concepts in offender assessment (IOW/IOA), through a qualitative research study. Finally, the fifth chapter presents a thorough discussion of the overall content, findings and conclusions of this thesis. Findings have important implications for the practice of assessing and managing offenders effectively

Alternative farrowing systems: design criteria for farrowing systems based on the biological needs of sows and piglets

The construction of a suitable farrowing environment is a continuing dilemma: the piglet's needs must be matched with those of the sow and the farmer during the main phases that constitute farrowing: nest building, parturition and lactation. Difficulties exist in resolving the various conflicts of interest between and within these three parties (e. g. sow v. farmer: space needed for nest building v. space needed to maximise the amount of farrowing accommodation, or sow v. sow: ensuring the survival of the current litter v. maintaining condition for future litters). Thus, the challenge is to resolve these conflicts and design a system that maximises sow and piglet welfare while maintaining an economically efficient and sustainable enterprise. In order to successfully design a farrowing and lactation environment, it is necessary to consider the biological needs of both the sow and her litter. The natural behaviour of the sow has been well documented and very little variation exists between reports of peri-parturient behaviour observed in extensively kept domestic sows and their wild counterparts. The failure for domestication to significantly alter these behavioural patterns provides evidence that they are biologically significant and that the commercial farrowing environment should attempt to accommodate this behavioural repertoire. In addition, the behavioural needs of the piglets, as well as the physiological needs of both sows and their offspring should be considered. This article aims to review the considerable body of literature detailing the behavioural repertoire of sows and their offspring during the different phases of farrowing, and the accompanying physiological processes. The focus is on identifying biological needs of the animals involved in order to synthesise the appropriate design criteria for farrowing and lactation systems, which should optimise both welfare and animal production.</p

The Autism Spectrum in the 21st Century: Exploring Psychology, Biology and Practice

The Autism Spectrum in the 21st Century is the definitive guide to the autism spectrum, introducing the reader to key concepts and developments in diagnosis, psychological and biological research, theoretical models, evidence-based intervention, educational strategies and family issues. The book charts how developments in theory, research and practice have shaped, and continue to shape, the evolving concept of autism which is at the core of this field