Therapeutic Correctional Relationships

Theory, research and practice

Sarah Lewis

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781317484110
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Criminology
• Index: Social Sciences

The relationship between offender and criminal justice practitioner has shifted throughout rehabilitative history, whether situated within psychological interventions, prison or probation. This relationship has evolved and adapted over time, but interpersonal processes remain central to offender work. However, little work has critically focused upon the challenging task of developing and sustaining positive relationships with offenders.

This book addresses this gap, providing an in-depth exploration of the processes which underpin correctional relationships within probation. Through an innovative methodology, it examines how practitioners can enhance their practice by understanding how relationships form, deepen and end effectively. For the first time, it draws on the experiences of offenders and practitioners to uncover the darker side to relationships, identifying how they can rupture and break down. From this exploration, it presents alternative ways in which relationships can be repaired and safeguarded within correctional practice. In essence, this book assists practitioners in becoming successful supporters of change.

In an increasingly competitive and politicised climate, this book outlines how political and organisational tensions can impact upon the flow of relationships across the criminal justice system. Uniquely, this book examines how these tensions can be overcome to produce transformative changes. Lewis suggests that therapeutic correctional relationships can thrive within a number of correctional settings and presents the core principles of relational practice and dynamic model of therapeutic correctional relationships to assist in achieving quality and sustainable practice. This book will appeal to criminological and psychological scholars as well as students studying probation and prison practice, offender rehabilitation and desistance.

1 Introduction

The position of the relationship between offender and criminal justice practitioner has shifted throughout rehabilitative history, whether that relationship is situated within psychological interventions, prison or probation. This relationship and the values that underpin it, have evolved and adapted over time depending upon the context in which they are embedded, and yet interpersonal processes still remain a significant aspect of rehabilitative work today (Burnett, 2004). Such relationships can be understood in numerous ways and this has consequentially meant that the effective elements of relational work have never been fully uncovered or appreciated (Burnett, 2004). The potential to form more therapeutic relationships that promote behavioural change has many tensions within a correctional context and this work aims to explore these challenges and conclude that therapeutic correctional relationships are possible, in spite of these issues. Relationships are central throughout criminal justice and from the moment a criminal offence is committed, relationships are severed between offender, victims and communities. The process of repairing and safeguarding relationships is of great significance, not only for the offender themselves, but on broader levels, across criminal justice agencies and within communities. This book aims to examine relationships that promote change, by discussing relationships vertically at different levels of the criminal justice system and horizontally, across criminological and psychological disciplines. It will draw on the findings of my doctoral research to critically examine the micro-processes of relationships and address what implications this new knowledge might have for frontline practice and policy.

While it is generally accepted that relationships can be a positive vehicle within the change process, little work has concentrated on the specific mechanisms that underlie relationships and the darker side to them. It can sometimes be assumed that once a practitioner and offender form a ‘good’ relationship, this continues throughout their work together and yet, this research highlights that relationships ebb and flow over time and an insight into this process can prove to be both valuable and useful.

It is important first to distinguish between correctional relationships and therapeutic correctional relationships. I contend that correctional relationships account for all relationships that exist between an offender and criminal justice practitioner, irrespective of quality. A therapeutic correctional relationship, however, is associated with a correctional relationship that nurtures growth and positive change and is defined as a collaborative relationship that is founded upon therapeutic qualities, such as mutual respect, genuineness, empathy, acceptance and positive regard (Rogers, 1967; Miller and Rollnick, 2002). Research in this area is relatively silent upon how criminal justice practitioners can effectively support change and Matthews and Hubbard (2007) question whether some practitioners believe this to be an aspect of their role. The term ‘correctional’ in itself suggests that there are elements of an individual that need ‘fixing’ or ‘mending’ and yet this term is used more to represent the context in which such relationships sit. Further, it suggests that within the context of correctional rehabilitation, relationships and the way in which we practise them can provide opportunities for new learning to support the offender in repairing ruptured relationships and build more positive relationships, which may assist them in their journey away from crime. From Matthews and Hubbard’s (2007) work and my own, it is argued that therapeutic correctional relationships can be formed with offenders and that there are numerous opportunities within the criminal justice system where such relationships can operate and flourish.

While it is acknowledged that several factors support processes of desistance, this work focuses upon relational issues characteristic to a correctional setting. My research was carried out within a probation setting and it is hoped that comparisons can be drawn from this context, into other domains within criminal justice. I will argue that therapeutic correctional relationships can aid the practitioner in supporting the processes of desistance and contribute to aspects of risk assessment. These aspects of practice may be relevant to prison work, probation work and more recently the work of community rehabilitation companies within England and Wales, since the Transforming Rehabilitation Agenda. International perspectives will also be considered to provide a commentary on some of the contemporary issues that exist within relational work.

While a focus of this book is a consideration of the micro-processes of therapeutic correctional relationships, relational practice, or the lack of it, will be discussed on broader levels, seeking out alternative ways of practice from the bottom up. This book is therefore aimed at frontline practitioners, students studying penology, psychology or criminology as well as policy-makers and organisational leaders. The findings from this project were formulated on the position of embracing offender engagement throughout the process of the research, in order to promote the ideas of personalisation within criminal justice and relational justice. In light of the findings from the research, it will present the core principles of relational practice and discuss future directions within theory, training and practice.

Introducing the research

The aim of my doctoral study was to gain a greater understanding of relationships that promote change and more specifically the therapeutic correctional relationship between the probation practitioner and offender.

In light of this aim, the objectives of my doctoral work were:

1 To critically consider what is understood by a therapeutic correctional relationship.

2 To examine the relational narrative or journey between practitioner and offender, specifically considering what factors contribute to and safeguard a therapeutic correctional relationship.

3 To understand and explore interpersonal ruptures within a correctional context.

4 To embrace the offender voice throughout all facets of the research, including the design, participation and analysis.

5 To consider ways in which relational work can be developed within correctional practice in the future.

Research questions

In pursuance of the objectives above, the following research questions were formulated to define the scope of this project:

Table 1.1 Themes and corresponding research questions of the doctoral project

Themes	Research questions
Understanding therapeutic correctional relationships	How are therapeutic correctional relationships understood within probation practice, by offenders?
Exploring the relational narrative	How do offenders and practitioners describe the relational narrative? What elements of good practice can maximise the likelihood of relationship success, from the perspective of the offenders and the practitioner?
Correctional ruptures	How do offenders and practitioners describe ruptures within probation practice? How might ruptures be successfully repaired within probation practice, from the perspective of the offender and practitioner?

The significance of relationships

With the wealth of academic pursuits relating to relationships within the criminal justice system (e.g. Rex, 1999; Burnett and McNeill, 2005; Dowden and Andrews, 2004; King, 2013; Liebling, Price and Shefer, 2011), it is hard to dispute the significance of relationships within correctional practice. Not only does a ‘positive’ relationship play a crucial role in processes of desistance, through the nurturing of pro-social narratives (Burnett and McNeill, 2005), it may also have broader implications (King, 2013). For example, Ansbro (2008) highlighted the importance of creating a secure base for an offender within a supervisory context, which may increase the likelihood of positive change through the development of a healthy bond between practitioner and offender. McNeill and Robinson (2013) stated that such a bond can act as a bridge to compliance through the development of trust and respect, as well as noting that a sense of commitment is important to create legitimacy for an offender (Robinson, 2005). While a ‘positive’ relationship may support processes of desistance, it may also sustain such processes. Appleton (2010) concluded from her work that a ‘good’ correctional relationship can be vital within the maintenance of desistance and described how a ‘positive’ relationship can also increase offender motivation. In addition to this, Ryals (2011) acknowledged that a therapeutic relationship can contribute to offender self-transformation and positivity, as well as nurturing feelings of empowerment. These insights suggest that certain correctional relationships may have significance within different aspects of correctional work, and may contribute to rehabilitative aims. The findings from this thesis reaffirmed the importance of constructing a more therapeutic stance within correctional work, to meet the functions of contemporary correctional practice, focusing specifically upon probation, prison and community rehabilitation companies.

On a broader scale, the significance of relationships has consistently featured in discussions relating to rehabilitation and the ideas of personal growth. They seem to take on different functions, depending upon the context in which they are situated, and yet Weaver (2014: 11) importantly points out that ‘relationships of different forms are often the vehicle through which newly forming identities (such as worker, partner or parent) are realized, solidified and sustained’. Weaver (2014) goes on to say that adopting a change-focused approach, by examining the processes that underpin change, would benefit from gaining a greater understanding into different types of relationships. The literature on relationships would suggest that personal, intimate and professional relationships play a role in assisting an individual to desist from crime, and yet this can be broadened out further when considering more global relationships within criminal justice institutions and the State.

Probation is currently undergoing a significant challenge due to the changes made by the last coalition government to privatise the majority of probation work, thus leaving probation only accountable for those who are deemed ‘high’ risk (MoJ, 2013). Under the Transforming Rehabilitation Agenda, it is a priority to focus on those things that ‘add value’ to rehabilitative work (MoJ, 2013). At this transitional time, practitioners need to be encouraged to value their relationships, recognise the importance of them within the context of their work and challenge the status quo that may undermine this. I argue that in order to fully address the risk of an offender and play a role in their desistance, a therapeutic correctional relationship can contribute to, what Gough (2012) described as the coupling of risk and rehabilitation within contemporary corrections. Through a greater analysis of therapeutic correctional relationships, practitioners do not have to limit their knowledge by thinking about ‘what works’ in a general sense, but creatively construct individualised relational theories with each offender. This awareness may support the practitioner in developing and safeguarding their relationships. Matthews and Hubbard (2007: 109) acknowledged that the majority of correctional research and training is dedicated to the evaluation of specific techniques, such as cognitive behavioural programmes, and relationships or ‘softer technologies … take a back seat’. This research therefore aims to place relationships back onto the agenda and promote aspects of the relational revolution, which are discussed by Weaver (2012). This brings significant challenges as a result of the movement away from ‘relational rehabilitation’ (Raynor and Robinson, 2005), though it is argued that relational work has the potential to be used to manage risk and promote positive change in an individual who offends.

The objectives of my research were constructed in response to numerous problems that have been identified from my own professional experience. While a ‘positive’ relationship has been highlighted as a ‘positive vehicle for change’ within probation (Copsey, 2011: 1), little work has been carried out that explores what is meant by this ‘relationship’ (Gelso, 2014). As high-lighted by Ross, Polaschek and Ward (2008), the ‘practice’ of a correctional practitioner and the way in which they understand and act are dependent upon numerous variables. This may include the practitioner’s attitudes to both offender and offence, the values the practitioner holds (Day and Ward, 2010) or what relational schemata and attachments have been constructed (Black et al., 2005). Relational schemata can be defined as ‘working models’ that individuals construct from their most important relationships (Baldwin et al., 1993) whereas attachments focus upon the extent to which a child and its care-giver create a bond which is deemed safe and secure (Bowlby, 1958).

As practitioners have constructed their own relational representations and act according to these, a plurality of practice emerges that makes it difficult to qualify what a relationship is. Kokotovic and Tracey (1990) called for greater clarity of the relationship, and this is later acknowledged by Appleton (2010), who stated that while the significance of a correctional relationship has been identified, there is a lack of sound knowledge about what makes a ‘good’ or ‘right’ relationship. This research aimed to address these issues by exploring how offenders construct the very relationships that they recognise to be significant and how such relationships flow and develop over time.

Relational knowledge also lacks specific attention to the micro-processes that underpin therapeutic correctional relationships. McNeill (2004) emphasised the need for a greater theoretical debate around relational c...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of illustrations
• Foreword
• Acknowledgement
• List of abbreviations
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Retracing relationships in criminal justice
• 3 Researching relationships in correctional practice
• 4 Introducing the dynamic model of therapeutic correctional relationships
• 5 The journeys of correctional relationships
• 6 Relationships and ruptures: safeguarding the therapeutic correctional relationship
• 7 Future directions: theory, training and practice
• Index