Offender rehabilitation theory and practice have traditionally focused on curing "offenders" of their deviant tendencies by changing their habits, opportunities, personality and outlook on life. Consequently, a number of interventions have been developed within the criminal justice system that are said to be involved in helping offenders. Success is measured by recidivism rates. To this end, rehabilitation has become an important aim of sentencing, whether it be in the form of incarceration, community or monetary penalties. Recently, the foundations of rehabilitation theory and practice have been shaken. Rehabilitation is now seen by many as a threat to offenders' rights and humanitarian principles. Some have even argued that rehabilitation practices are harmful to offenders' chances of correction. Alongside these concerns, the entire paradigm on which our modern criminal justice systems are based has also been questioned. Alternative visions of justice have been moved out of the shadows in the hope that more effective processes are developed for safer and more just societies. One of these visions is encapsulated in restorative justice, which is based on the foundation of promoting human goods in the pursuit of restoration of harm and the correction of deviant behaviour. Restorative justice practices, such as mediation, circles and conferencing bring to the fore states of affairs, activities and experiences that are strongly associated with well-being and higher level of personal satisfaction and social functioning. They aim to create empathy and remorse, and through constructive and honest dialogue create a sense of responsibility in the "offender" and a feeling of empowerment and justice in the "victim". Within this framework, the labels of "victim" and "offender" collapse. A new approach to crime reduction and offender rehabilitation is thus needed. This ground-breaking, edited volume aims to respond to this call by bringing together inter-disciplinary thinking from criminology, affect-script psychology, sociology, political sciences and human rights, psychology and positive psychology, design and arts and social work. The inter-disciplinary dialogue that this book promotes aims to advance the restorative justice field, its tools, practices and evaluation techniques by bringing rehabilitation theory into the restorative justice debate, and vice versa.

A powerful, bracing and deeply spiritual look at intensely, troubled youth, Last Chance in Texas gives a stirring account of the way one remarkable prison rehabilitates its inmates. While reporting on the juvenile court system, journalist John Hubner kept hearing about a facility in Texas that ran the most aggressive–and one of the most successful–treatment programs for violent young offenders in America. How was it possible, he wondered, that a state like Texas, famed for its hardcore attitude toward crime and punishment, could be leading the way in the rehabilitation of violent and troubled youth? Now Hubner shares the surprising answers he found over months of unprecedented access to the Giddings State School, home to “the worst of the worst”: four hundred teenage lawbreakers convicted of crimes ranging from aggravated assault to murder. Hubner follows two of these youths–a boy and a girl–through harrowing group therapy sessions in which they, along with their fellow inmates, recount their crimes and the abuse they suffered as children. The key moment comes when the young offenders reenact these soul-shattering moments with other group members in cathartic outpourings of suffering and anger that lead, incredibly, to genuine remorse and the beginnings of true empathy . . . the first steps on the long road to redemption. Cutting through the political platitudes surrounding the controversial issue of juvenile justice, Hubner lays bare the complex ties between abuse and violence. By turns wrenching and uplifting, Last Chance in Texas tells a profoundly moving story about the children who grow up to inflict on others the violence that they themselves have suffered. It is a story of horror and heartbreak, yet ultimately full of hope.

′Robinson and Crow have achieved the seemingly impossible: a book about rehabilitation that transcends the "medical model", that is original and contemporary yet grounded in a sophisticated history, and most of all that is fun to read. It will become a new classic text in a field that has been crying out for one′ - Professor Shadd Maruna, Queen′s University, Belfast ′In an age where there is much public and political confusion about many criminal justice matters, this book brings considerable clarity to the idea of rehabilitation, its theoretical and historical roots, and contemporary practical application. This is an accessible, lively, and critical account of a concept which is central to the shape of the criminal justice system in pursuance of something that will "work" to reduce reoffending. "Rehabilitation" seems to go in and out of fashion depending on the politics of the day, but the careful and thorough examination of the different contexts in which it operates and competing perspectives on its potential offered here highlights its enduring qualities. This is a fascinating and engaging book by two established and "real world" scholars which will serve students and policy makers alike in the fields of criminal justice and social policy′ - Loraine Gelsthorpe, Reader in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge This comprehensive text explains all the key themes in the development and practice of offender rehabilitation. It explores how the issue fits within its wider social and political contexts, giving an insight into its current and future relevance to criminal justice. The book covers the full range of rehabilitative approaches, exploring how criminal justice responses have been influenced by trends such as the treatment model, ′What Works?′, desistance, risk and public protection, and changes in social policy. It offers the following essential features: " theoretical grounding - providing students with all the essential background they need in order to fully understand the subject " historical context - enabling the reader to see how ideas, policies and practices have developed over time " research focus - introducing the reader to questions about how rehabilitative approaches have been evaluated and debates about ′what works′ for particular groups of offenders, such as sexual offenders and drug misusers " study questions and further reading - giving students the tools both to revise and to expand their knowledge Offender Rehabilitation both advances thinking about the notion of rehabilitation, and ensures that students of crime and justice can keep abreast of the most recent developments in this area.

Treatment and rehabilitation have been central to the development of criminal justice policy, and have played an important role in the development of criminology. In recent years punishment and retribution have attracted more attention than rehabilitation, but there has been a resurgence of interest in treatment and rehabilitation, with indications that some things do 'work', and an emphasis on 'evidence-based' policy making. It is also the belief of many that a penal policy without an adequate treatment strategy is unjust and a denial of human rights. In this book Iain Crow provides an accessible overview of the concepts of treatment and rehabilitation, adopting a deliberately broad definition, and considers the historic

Violent No More is for men who have struggled with or are currently being violent in an intimate relationship. Filled with real stories of men who have harmed the ones they love and found the courage to change, this highly acclaimed book has helped thousands acknowledge and reform their abusive behavior. Author Michael Paymar doesn't sidestep the unpleasant reality of domestic violence—included here are the sometimes shocking first-person accounts of violent men, along with those of battered women. More importantly, many of these stories illustrate the ways in which men were able to stop their use of violence and control. This edition contains four new chapters which address the challenges faced by practitioners who work with domestic violence offenders or victims, and the particular struggles faced by combat veterans returning from war, many of whom come home with PTSD and other mental health issues. With group exercises and individual goal-setting plans to help men find healthy ways of responding to conflict, change the cultural conditioning that condones violence, and avoid reverting to old patterns, Violent No More is an essential guide for men dealing with violence issues, as well as for the professionals who assist in their efforts to improve.

The author guides readers through the process of recognizing abusive behaviors, taking responsibility for them, and learning to express anger without violence. This new edition includes updated resources, additional exercises, and guidelines for men of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

From experts on working with court-mandated populations, this book shows how motivational interviewing (MI) can help offenders move beyond resistance or superficial compliance and achieve meaningful behavior change. Using this evidence-based approach promotes successful rehabilitation and reentry by drawing on clients' values, goals, and strengths--not simply telling them what to do. The authors clearly describe the core techniques of MI and bring them to life with examples and sample dialogues from a range of criminal justice and forensic settings. Of crucial importance, the book addresses MI implementation in real-world offender service systems, including practical strategies for overcoming obstacles. This book is in the Applications of Motivational Interviewing series, edited by Stephen Rollnick, William R. Miller, and Theresa B. Moyers.