Die Rehabilitation von Straftätern

The rehabilitation of offenders in English-speaking countries is primarily guided by a risk management framework (the risk-need-responsivity principles: RNR model), which aims at reducing the possibility of harm to the community rather than improving offenders’ quality of life. In the last decade Tony Ward and his colleagues have developed the good lives model of offender rehabilitation (GLM) as an alternative to the RNR model. The GLM incorporates the RNR principles of risk, need and responsivity into its theoretical structure while aiming to provide a more constructive and comprehensive approach to correctional practice. More specifically, it aims to both reduce risk while enhancing the quality of offenders’ lives. The present article aims at outlining the general, etiological assumptions and practice implications of the GLM. In addition, its strengths and limitations and evidence base are reported. These illustrations highlight the usefulness of the GLM for the treatment of offenders and sex offenders in particular.     

Umgang mit gefährlichen Straftätern in England und Wales

Forensic psychiatric institutions exist in all western European countries. Their organisation depends on a number of factors including the legal framework and societal attitudes towards mentally disordered offenders. This article describes and critically comments on the forensic psychiatric system in England and Wales, its legal framework and approaches to dealing with dangerous offenders. England and Wales have a long forensic psychiatric tradition with the first high security hospital, Broadmoor hospital, having been established in 1863. Evidence-based treatment approaches in forensic hospitals as well as in prisons, training of forensic psychiatrists and research in the field of forensic psychiatry have gained international recognition. However, there are some worrying aspects in the system of forensic psychiatric care and the criminal justice system more generally, in particular the high and still increasing number of prisoners in comparison with other European countries, the low age of criminal responsibility, long sentences, increasing length of stay in forensic care and the increasingly risk averse culture. A number of differences to the German system can be found; one such difference relates to the role of criminal responsibility which is irrelevant for decisions regarding commitment in England and Wales. Only the mental state and need for treatment at the time of trial (or later assessment in prison) determine whether an offender is admitted to psychiatric care or receives a prison sentence. A number of new initiatives have been launched in recent years resulting in an increasing number of individuals being detained in forensic psychiatric and criminal justice institutions, in particular the initiative for the detention and treatment of individuals with so-called dangerous and severe personality disorders, the sexual offenders register and the new sentence of indeterminate imprisonment for public protection. These initiatives have been the subject of a number of complaints to the European Court of Human Rights. Nevertheless, the trend towards a more and more risk averse culture continues.     

Partnerschaften von Sexualstraftätern

Intimate relationships of convicted and released sexual offenders have hardly been the topic of systematic research. This article presents a systematic review of this topic. Only nine articles were found in a systematic literature search which investigated this topic with qualitative and quantitative methods. These studies were dominated by the determination of multiple deficits in the sexual offenders, such as intimacy and empathy problems, high frequencies of conflicts and aggression in the relationships as well as social isolation of the female partners. The female partners of sexual offenders also showed a high tendency to denial and minimization similar to the offenders and blamed the victims for the offence. The women seemed to like their status as a “martyred wife” and gave their husbands a “second chance in life”. However, the currently available studies have barely investigated the “sexual offender couple” and the dynamics of their relationship to elucidate stabilizing factors. In a pilot study on the topic of “partnerships of sexual offenders” 17 “sex offender couples” were questioned by interviews and questionnaires to collate the dynamics of the partnership, which was published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy. In the quantitative results it was found that the female partners of sex offenders predominantly demonstrated an insecure preoccupied attachment style and this influence on the relationship stability is discussed. Further studies are needed in this field of research to gain detailed data of “sex offender couples” for relapse prevention and therapeutic implications.     

Der Behandlungsbedarf bei jungen Straftätern (BB-JuSt)

The BB-JuSt is a newly developed standardized instrument used in juvenile correctional settings to document the results of the inital assessment of treatment and educational needs of young offenders. It is made up of 23 items with 5-point rating scales (with the exception of the item caring for a child) which refer to specific needs and responsivity factors relating to educational attainments and basic reading/writing and mathematic skills, alcohol/drug/gambling problems, criminogenic disposition (e.g., aggressiveness), psychological disorders, lifestyle and social environment (e.g. associates and family). To determine the interrater reliability of this instrument 42 young offenders were classified by professional prison staff as usual, and additionally by 2 external researchers. Whereas excellent agreement between the external researchers was achieved on all items, the comparison between staff and researchers showed only moderate correlations. These results indicate that the BB-JuSt is a reliable instrument that can be used for treatment planning decisions and for research purposes but extensive training is required for users.     

Therapieverläufe von Sexualstraftätern

Throughout the past decades evaluation studies on sexual offender treatment have led to controversies. While numerous studies examined the effectiveness of different interventions, the possible underlying mediating mechanisms have largely been neglected. This study took a multimethod approach to investigate the measurability of change processes in sexual offenders serving a sentence in the social therapeutic institution (SothA) of the detention center in Tegel, Germany (n?=?105). A longitudinal design with three groups (i.e. waiting group, treatment group and day release group) from four perspectives on change processes (i.e. external criminal prognostic assessment, therapists’ view, staff observation and clients’ perspective) was employed. Most criminal prognostic risk and protective factors improved over the course of treatment and this effect was smallest in the waiting group. While therapists reported increased therapeutic constraints in the course of treatment, they were more favorable in the criminal prognosis and detected more differentiated patterns of needs and resources of clients as conceptualized by the primary and secondary assets of the good lives model (GLM). In contrast, during the course of treatment the sexual offenders showed an increased awareness of the criminogenically relevant problems in the sexual domain. Nonetheless, the overall number of problems they identified as criminogenically relevant decreased. The internal problem attribution in the sense of internal causes (“It is my fault”) and capability of change (“Only I can solve the problem”) was increased. The stronger the clients’ perception of own problems in the sexual context increased over the course of treatment, the more positive the change in the staff’s view of their behavior became and the more their dynamic risk factors improved. Overall, this study found strong evidence that change processes in SothA might already be detectable during ongoing social treatment. It is currently uncertain whether these changes influence future recidivism. A comparison with recidivism data is necessary and in planning.     

Die Kriminalprognose bei persönlichkeitsgestörten Straftätern

Many studies have shown that there is an elevated prevalence of personality disorders in criminal offenders in addition to the statistically higher probability of becoming repeat offenders. This article highlights the method of Applied Criminology which explains how this method can help to detect the relevance of personality disorders when applied to an individual case. In a second part of this article the personality disorders are examined and also how this method facilitates the risk assessment process by allowing case managers to highlight the aspects that are prevalent to predict future criminal behavior.     

Die Kriminalprognose bei persönlichkeitsgestörten Straftätern

Many studies have shown that there is an elevated prevalence of personality disorders in criminal offenders in addition to the statistically higher probability of becoming repeat offenders. This article highlights in part I the method of Applied Criminology which explains how this method can help to detect the relevance of personality disorders when applied to an individual case. In this second part the personality disorders are examined and also how this method facilitates the risk assessment process.     

Ambulante Behandlung von Sexualstraftätern

Treatment of sexual offenders is still a controversial issue for both forensic clinical practice and research. The methods to evaluate efficacy and effectiveness in the field of forensic psychiatry and psychotherapy show many distinctive characteristics. Especially outpatient treatment of sexual offenders takes place in a conflict of interest. This article aims to illustrate several potentials and difficulties in the field of sexual offender treatment using the example of the Hamburg Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE).     

Rechtliche Gesichtspunkte zur Rückfallprognose und Vollstreckung bei älteren Straftätern

As our society ages, the number of offenders who are older than 60 when they are up to release from prison or forensic hospital also increases steadily. Instruments of prognosis (e.g. HCR-20, PCL, SVR, Static-99, Dittmann-List) currently in use are not validated for this group, which means that forensic-psychiatric and -psychological experts have to rely on casuistry with all it’s methodical problems for their reports on whether or not there is a risk for relapse (which are obligatory by German law). Therefore the Courts of Execution Matters (in Germany dealing with conditional discharge; same question for any kind of Parole Board in other countries) have to apply standards as provided by the law and the jurisdiction up to the Constitutional Court to a much higher degree than they have to do regarding the much better researched group of younger offenders. In doing so, the focus has to be much more on the special circumstances of senior citizen in general and specifically on the aged offender’s life. There is a urgent need to intensify research on this group of offenders.     

Zur Häufigkeit der Schuldfähigkeitsbegutachtung von Sexualstraftätern im Erkenntnisverfahren

This study investigated how often and depending on which factors sexual offenders are examined by mental health experts regarding their criminal responsibility. Out of a total of 306 legal charges against sex offenders accused of child sexual abuse (CSA: n?=?145), rape or sexual assault (n?=?89), exhibitionism (n?=?39), sexual abuse of adolescents, mentally defective, physically helpless or warded persons (n?=?18) that were admitted by a criminal court in 2001 in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, 209 (95.6 %) were analyzed regarding the following questions: how often was the accused examined by a mental health professional regarding mental responsibility? Was the chance of being examined systematically related to certain factors (e.g., personality of the accused)? Expert advice regarding the mental responsibility of the accused was obtained by the court in only 34 cases (11.7 %). No systematic relationships of personal variables as well as the modus operandi and the chance of commissioning a mental health expert were found. The main reason for assigning a forensic expert opinion was the vague impression of a psychic disorder. Re-offending increased the rate of a mental health examination only in CSA (34.6 % of re-offenders were examined compared to 9.2 % of first-time offenders), but not in rape or sexual assault. Also age does not predict the commissioning of an expert opinion. Only one fifth of all accused below the age of 21 were investigated by a mental health professional. Results are discussed in terms of legal background, consequences for risk assessment and relapse prevention.     

Rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen und Behandlungspraxis bei persönlichkeitsgestörten Straftätern in den Niederlanden

Zusammenfassung   Die Behandlung pers?nlichkeitsgest?rter Straft?ter, die in den Niederlanden haupts?chlich dem Ma?regelvollzug obliegt, steht durch die Forderung von Politik und ?ffentlichkeit nach maximaler Sicherheit der Allgemeinheit momentan unter st?ndigem Druck. Gleichzeitig finden im Ma?regelvollzug Entwicklungen statt, die gew?hrleisten sollen, dass der Sektor seine prim?re Aufgabe, die Gesellschaft vor rückfallgef?hrdeten Straft?tern zu schützen, besser erfüllen kann. Dabei wird ebenfalls versucht, den unterschiedlichen Sicherungs- und Behandlungsbedürfnissen der verschiedenen Patientengruppen durch ein differenziertes, wissenschaftlich fundiertes Behandlungsangebot gerecht zu werden. In diesem Beitrag werden die Errungenschaften in der Behandlung psychisch gest?rter Straft?ter beschrieben und es wird erl?utert, inwieweit die Panikmache von Politik und Medien die gemachten Fortschritte zu untergraben droht.      

Zur Phänomenologie islamistisch-terroristischer Straftäter

Very little reliable information is currently known about the individual background of terrorist offences. The few empirical studies available are as a rule based on a consideration of the social statistical characteristics without reference to personality or psychopathological diagnostic findings. The present article is based on 40 expert opinions which were given by the author on a total of 29 subjects in the years 2000–2013. All subjects had committed crimes motivated by Islamic beliefs of which 23 could be explored and investigated in detail. Although the offenders included in this study consisted mainly of immigrants to Germany, in recent years a group of young offenders has crystallized, even in this sample of subjects, who were born and grew up in Germany. In the “immigrant” group (n?=?19) no psychopathological traits were detected and also only few ego-syntonic offenders who acted on convictions. In fact, these subjects were more a series of primarily conspicuously dissocial offenders and subjects who had failed to cope with their way of life or with their aims in life. Of the young Moslems who grew up in Germany (n?=?10) three subjects suffered from a schizophrenic psychosis and two had a primarily dissocial psychosis. Among the other subjects there were some special features in the developmental background, especially in the area of identity crises but without any noticeable uniform background pattern for a personality development to an Islamic offender.     

Psychotherapie für Straftäter

The legal and administrative framework for psychotherapy of offenders in prisons and secure forensic hospitals is outlined. Established treatment programs for offenders are presented including different variations of standardized cognitive behavioral approaches, e. g. relapse prevention programs (RP), dialectic behavioral therapy (DBT), transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP), and mentalization-based treatment (MBT). The foci of the individual programs as well as their integrative tendencies are described. In psychodynamic therapies cognitive processes are taken into consideration and, vice versa, cognitive-behavioral therapists discover the significance of the therapeutic relationship.     

Sind Exhibitionisten gefährliche Straftäter?

Exhibitionists are generally considered to be repeated but otherwise inoffensive delinquents. In contrast to this position in the past politicians repeatedly declared acting exhibitionistically to be the starting point of a development leading to sexual assaults. The following analysis is based on conviction records for the years 1998 to 2000. Out of 1979 Federal Registry records a total of 34 showed a development toward sexual assault. A far greater number of delinquents were convicted for property crime or common crime like assault or libel. This could has been confirmed for the time before they have committed exhibitionistic acts in public as well as after that. Convictions for similar offenses like indecent behaviour or sexual acts in front of children are common as well. More than one fifth of all offenders committed such an offence over the evaluated period of about 5 years after the reference crime. A much more decisive fact is that absolutely as well as relatively more offenders had been convicted of sexual assault before they were convicted of exhibitionistic acts in public. So from a statistical point of view a correlation between acting exhibitionistically and sexual assaults is not obvious. The ongoing dissection of files gives reason to classify the above mentioned 34 offenders to be a atypical type of exhibitionist, what means that their behavior is dominated by a antisocial personality and not by exhibitionism in psychiatric terms.     

Kriminalprognose bei Sexualstraftätern

Modern methods of risk assessment for sexual recidivism are reviewed, amongst others the statistical and the clinical approaches. The recidivism of sexual offenders is also strongly influenced by basic criminological risk factors like age, intelligence, former criminality, dissocial patterns and poor social integration. A further important risk factor is paraphilia. The analysis of the determining factors of previous sexual assaults is an essential basis for risk assessment. The different forms of sexual assaults are outlined under the aspect of risk assessment.