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The emergence of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) represents a major restructuring of the criminal justice sector which, in time, is likely to have a significant impact on the community safety field. New approaches to commissioning services, the management of offenders and the potential for a service more strongly focused on community interventions all present challenges and potential opportunities for community safety partnerships and partners.

This article seeks to explore the historical context of government policy in relation to mentally disordered offenders. The article will relate this context to the work of the Probation Service, in particular the development of the Offender Management System (OASys), risk assessment and the implications and challenges that face the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). The key question to be assessed is whether NOMS and OASys can lead to a better service for those with mental disorder, and therefore reduce their risk.

The landscape of the Probation Service in England and Wales continues to be challenged by issues of priorities, workload, and lack of meaningful relationships between offenders and practitioners. In this climate of uncertainty and ‘transformation’, vulnerable offenders on probation become the ones mostly affected due to management plans and license conditions that do not respond to the variability of their needs. This chapter explores the older individuals on probation and uses the framework of Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) to examine the extent to which it may accommodate the needs of this group of offenders in an otherwise risk-based context. This study draws ideas from previous research of the author and aims to develop the existing limited academic attention that older offenders supervised under specialised probation contexts have received. The structure of the chapter remains doctrinal in nature as a response to the need for a more comprehensive and inclusive perception of the risk of reoffending later in life and its implications for bespoke community reintegration strategies. This approach also allows for theorisation of MAPPA’s multi-agency structure and its prospects for the rehabilitation of older offenders. This study finds that as MAPPA only manages violent and sexual offenders, the ‘older MAPPA offender’ becomes a special category for probation that may exhibit a variety of needs and life circumstances. It thereby becomes even more important for these offenders that a constructive working relationship between them and the probation officer is in place. This supports the latter in appreciating what factors lead the individual to offending later in life, and what interventions may be most effective to address their risk of reoffending as well as their needs in the community.

Purpose – This chapter explores claims of social problem workers in criminal justice and mental health with regard to how to manage males who are identified as or self-identify as both victims and perpetrators (V/Ps) of sexual abuse. We also examine the claims of V/Ps with regard to how they manage their dual status.

Methodology – This chapter is based on an action research project on intervention services for V/Ps in Ontario, Canada. Our data include literature reviews, interviews with intervention professionals, V/P narratives, and a transcription of a stake-holder's workshop.

Findings – Intervention workers whose mandate is offender risk management state they give little attention to victimization-related issues of V/Ps, whereas workers in victims’ services often state that adult V/Ps are not covered under their mandate. This suggests that the status of offender is the master status for adult V/Ps. Our V/P narratives recount efforts at self-management and some V/Ps and intervention professionals have expressed interest in the possibility of developing programs specially designed for V/Ps.

Practical Implications – An examination of issues related to the dual status of sexual abuse V/Ps suggests that V/Ps may require special services that cannot be provided by existing programs for perpetrators and victims.

Originality/Value of Paper – Studies of social problem work might benefit from considering not only professionals’ viewpoints but also those of their clients. This chapter explores new intervention models (GLM and RJ) that incorporate ethical concerns based on a rights perspective (“moral repair”) and the experiential concerns of V/Ps.

Effective risk management planning ought to include strategies that help control and mitigate risk, as well as develop and strengthen client’s protective factors. The active risk management system (ARMS) is a structured risk assessment and management planning tool designed to assess both dynamic factors known to be related to sexual recidivism, along with protective factors that might support the desistance process. The tool was recently implemented across all police forces in England and Wales. The purpose of this paper is to examine police practitioner’s experience of the tool, their attitudes towards risk assessment, risk management planning, interviewing clients for the assessment and their perspective on strengths-based approaches in general.

A mixed method approach is adopted including one attitudinal measure: community attitudes towards sexual offender-revised (CATSO-R); and four focus groups, analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA).

CATSO-R results indicate that when compared to other populations, police officers appear to perceive sex offenders as dangerous, requiring severe punishment. These findings are supported in the IPA analysis where three themes highlight the following: principles and practices of the ARMS tool are incongruent with traditional policing; the negative values officers hold conflicts with a role that supports a process of reintegration and Training and supervision is insufficient to equip management of sexual offenders and violent offender’s with the skills and knowledge needed.

Only one study exists in which ARMS training and its pilot test were examined, this is the first empirical examination of its application in practice. Findings are therefore, of relevance to practitioners and academics alike.

Transgender sex offenders are a small, complex and atypical group. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the issues in relationship to the assessment of gender dysphoria in transgender sex offenders and approaches to risk management.

Clinical and research experience as a Gender Specialist and Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist who has managed sex offender populations has informed this publication.

Little is known about the relationship between gender dysphoria and criminality. More research is required to develop a typology of transgender sex offenders and develop actuarial risk instruments. Protective factors in relation to gender affirmative care are also important to understand.

There is little empirical research to guide gender specialists and criminal justice professionals in the management of gender dysphoria and address risk and recidivism in transgender offender populations. The treatment of gender dysphoria could result in improved well-being and better psychosocial adjustment but cannot be relied to reduce future recidivism.

There is no evidence that treatment of gender dysphoria reduces risk and recidivism in transgender sex offenders and that research is required to identify specific gender related dynamic risk factors.

Recommendations are directly relevant to the work of prison and probation staff, community supervisors and gender identity specialists.

As far as the author is aware it is the first paper on the assessment and management of gender diverse sex offenders integrating approaches to gender dysphoria assessment and treatment and risk management. It has implication for gender identity specialists, criminal justice professionals, research and policy.

The study explored the factor structure and reliability of the Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders (CATSO) scale. The study also included an impression management scale.

A total of 441 adults (134 male, 280 female, 27 ns) participated in this study from three populations: staff at a category B prison (n=62), staff at a category C sex offender prison (n=102) and staff at a UK university (n=248). Questionnaire packs included information/consent, demographics, the CATSO and the Paulhus impression management scale.

Data were excluded where the Paulhus score was <1 or >12 (faking good/bad present). Confirmatory factor analysis with alternative models indicated the scale did not meet any of the requirements for an acceptable fit. Cronbach's α confirmed that two of the four sub‐scales were not internally consistent. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted following the removal of items with poor item‐total correlation and/or low/high facility index and, following parallel analysis, a revised two factor solution was examined. The CATSO needs revision; it is unclear whether it is sufficiently reliable and valid for use in the UK. The need for a valid/reliable tool to assess attitudes toward sexual offenders remains an important goal for researchers.

Church et al. (2008) developed a scale (CATSO) to measure attitudes toward sex offenders; the scale is being increasingly widely used across a range of populations, including the general public and correctional staff. This research identifies significant problems with the scale in terms of factor structure and reliability of the sub‐scales. This paper advises a rethink of the CATSO by the scale authors and suggest the scale is not currently useable.

The purpose of this paper is to outline findings from research into Integrated Offender Management (IOM), an example of multi-agency working between the police, probation and drug treatment services, and how this is expected to be affected by the “Transforming Rehabilitation” (TR) changes to the probation service being introduced by the Ministry of Justice.

The methodological approach was realistic evaluation. The findings of this paper draw upon semi-structured interviews undertaken with IOM staff, offenders and a small number of national IOM portfolio holders. Observations of the operation of IOM in the local site have also been used.

Three underpinning mechanisms within IOM were uncovered during the research, all of which are at risk from the TR changes.

IOM, as it currently operates, will be affected fundamentally by the TR changes, due to the disruption to stable multi-agency working. The research is limited by taking place during the planning and initial roll out of the TR changes; as a result interviewees were commenting on their expectations rather than their direct experience of the changes. However, their experience within IOM makes them well placed to assess the likely impact of TR.

As the TR changes are new, this paper is amongst only a small number seeking to assess their anticipated impact based on primary research.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy-based group intervention in anger management with male offenders. All participants were the subject of a stipulation to attend the programme under a probation order, and were at the time of the study being managed in the community.

Totally, 105 offenders attended the anger management programme, which was delivered by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI), between 2008 and 2010 across a range of centres, representing most regions of the province. Prior to treatment, the offenders completed two measures: The State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), and the Stages of Change Scales (SCS). Both these measures were also completed at the end of the programme of treatment.

It was found that the programme significantly reduced the expression of anger as well as state and trait anger among offenders referred to the programme as measured by the STAXI. Both the action and maintenance subscales of the SCS were significant predictors of improvement in anger expression. The action subscale was shown to be a valuable predictor of readiness for change amongst the offenders.

Assessing an offender’s readiness to change may enhance selection for specific rehabilitation programs thus reducing drop-out rates leading to a more efficient use of resources. This study demonstrates that those participants who were found to be more ready for change, benefited most from the intervention programme.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the different clinical features of pathological demand avoidance (PDA) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) presented in the form of a single case study. The study highlights the potential of misdiagnosis and conceptual confusions to practitioners in forensic settings between the two conditions when working with offenders with personality disorders.

A case formulation using the “five Ps” method based on the personal history of an incarcerated male is presented and the clinical similarities and differences between PDA and ASPD are delineated. These differences and similarities are evaluated and applied to offender management including intervention options.

There are considerable similarities between ASPD and PDA making the two conditions difficult to separate. Both diagnostic criteria identify childhood behavioural problems, aggression, destructiveness, conduct disorder (CD), manipulation and non-compliance as indications of the disorder. For example, the criteria for later adult ASPD are the presence of childhood antisocial behaviour and CD. However, these behaviours may also be suggestive of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and non-compliance that are part of PDA. Violent behaviours and aggression can also be perceived in a similar way. Misdiagnosis of PDA as ASPD reduces the efficiency of treatment programmes.

The implications of these findings could prove useful in the successful risk management of offenders with PDA. Given the similar behavioural characteristics between PDA and ASPD, the prevalence of PDA among offenders may be higher than observed. The aim of this study is to raise awareness of potential conceptual complications and clinical confusions between the two conditions with a view to aid offender management through case formulation. A large scale study into offenders with PDA would draw attention to the prevalence of the condition as well as its association with offending behaviour.