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Building Better Lives - New approaches to intervening with sex offenders in prison
The Irish Prison Service is introducing a number of initiatives aimed at increasing the range and availability of therapeutic interventions for sex offenders in prison, increasing participation rates and increasing the effectiveness of interventions. This note describes the therapeutic interventions. They comprise notably:
- structured clinical assessments,
- one-to-one therapeutic interventions,
- offence-related therapeutic group interventions
- exploratory open groups (“Exploring Better Lives”),
- practice open groups (“Practising Better Lives”),
- maintenance groups (“Maintaining Better Lives”), and
- approved in-reach services.
The exploratory, practice and maintenance groups replace the Sex Offender Programme initiated in 1994, allowing more responsive and flexible delivery to a greater number of offenders. Delivery of the interventions will be consistent with Integrated Sentence Management principles and procedures and take place under the Governor-led multi-disciplinary teams.
Structured clinical assessments
All sex offenders will be assessed soon after committal. All subsequent interventions will be informed by such assessments, with re-assessment taking place during sentence as appropriate. A range of appropriate measures will be used, with the specific assessment undertaken determined by the needs of the individual offender. Assessment itself can be seen as part of the therapeutic process.
One-to-one therapeutic interventions
Individual therapeutic work with sex offenders serves a number of functions, including support for offenders in their early commitment to change and integration and extension of progress made in group work. It also has a key role in addressing the risks and needs of offenders who are unable to undertake group programmes.
It is envisaged that individual therapeutic interventions will take place in 2009 in respect of approximately 30 offenders in Arbour Hill but that the number will diminish somewhat according as greater emphasis is put on group interventions. One-to-one interventions will continue to play an important role in other prisons.
Offence-related Therapeutic Group Interventions
Three group interventions focusing on exploration, practice and maintenance are being introduced, the first in January 2009. The exploratory and practice groups will operate as open groups, with changing membership, flexible start and finish times and emphasis on the group process. The maintenance group is likely to operate as a closed group.
A number of benefits accrue from the open group approach. Mature participants encourage novices by modelling appropriate responding, there is an opportunity for repeated vicarious learning of key treatment targets, it appears to facilitate a more speedy acquisition of intervention goals, and all clients remain in the group until they have achieved their intervention targets. New participants join the group when a space becomes available. A weekly review and planning meeting takes place, where participants’ progress and struggles are discussed.
The new approach will allow for interventions to take greater account of individual risk, needs and capacity. Higher risk offenders, for example, can spend longer on offence-based work, if necessary. Crucially, it will allow for interventions with a significantly greater number of offenders than the previous Sex Offender Programme. The group work, being very much needs-led and flexible, should also be more manageable for offenders and consequently more attractive than the closed format of the 10-month Sex Offender Programme.
The number of offenders in each group will average 8. Three exploratory, two practice and two-to-three maintenance groups are envisaged per annum, allowing interventions with up to 60 offenders.
Initially, sex offenders within 18 months of their release will be targeted for the exploratory and practice groups. Higher risk offenders will be targeted in particular. It is envisaged that when the needs of this cohort are met, it will be possible to target offenders earlier in their sentences, with gains protected through participation in the maintenance groups.
In-reach Services
The Irish Prison Service recognises the potential for community-based services to provide interventions with this group of offenders and is committed to exploring the potential of community and voluntary groups to engage with sex offenders within the prison environment. Their participation will be within the framework described above and require commitments such as liaising with and reporting to the Irish Prison Service.
Interventions in 2009 will include motivational enhancement groups provided by the Granada Institute in the Midlands and Wheatfield prisons and interventions with young sex offenders provided by the Northside Inter-Agency Project (NIAP) in St Patrick’s Institution. These interventions will be provided with financial support from the Dormant Accounts Fund.
Other interventions
Sex offenders will continue to benefit from other group programmes not specifically designed for sex offenders but addressing their needs, including stress management, anger management and cognitive skills training.
Regimes Directorate
Irish Prison Service
January 2009
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