Psychology in Prisons

摘要

Historically, models of offender risk, assessment, and intervention advocated by applied forensic psychologists working in prisons have frequently come under criticism for failing to effectively address the needs of offender populations (Levi & Maguire, 2002). Encouragingly, the authors of Psychology in Prisons consider that the field is addressing the need for change and, as a result, is currently experiencing 'a golden age' (p. 3), with increased public sector funding, an increase of psychologists working within prisons, and improvements to competency-based training. However, Crighton and Towl warn that action must be taken to reduce the negative effects of easily replicated manual-based approaches advocated by New Public Management. The authors argue that they are often far from 'fit for purpose' and somewhat lacking in individual therapeutic efficacy-a point further exacerbated if researchers fail to reflect on the socio-political and ethical implications of their research. This would appear to support the argument that 'policymakers appear rarely cognizant of the efficacy and cost effectiveness of alternative interventions' (Loeber & Farrington, 1998, p. 757).