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Evaluating treatment outcomes for young people participating in a high‐intensity therapeutic violence intervention in the English Youth Custody Service
Author(s) -
Derbyshire Jonathan M.,
Tarrant Emily,
Fitter Ruby,
Gibson Rachel A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
legal and criminological psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 2044-8333
pISSN - 1355-3259
DOI - 10.1111/lcrp.12142
Subject(s) - aggression , psychology , intervention (counseling) , anger , clinical psychology , empathy , psychiatry , suicide prevention , poison control , impulsivity , medicine , medical emergency
Purpose A specialized unit for long‐term sentenced male young people sought to provide additional support to those convicted of the gravest violent offences, who had the highest risk of further offending. One key element was the introduction of a violence reduction intervention, Life Minus Violence‐Enhanced (LMV‐E). The present study evaluated LMV‐E. Methods Participants ( N = 21, starting age = 16–17 years) were convicted of a violent offence and had a history of custodial and or community violence. Pre‐ and post‐intervention comparisons were of risk for future violence as measured by the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY; Borum et al., [Borum, R., 2006], Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY). Psychological Assessment Resources Inc.) and treatment‐related change on self‐report questionnaires. Sanctions for further aggression in custody or following release were recorded at 12 and 24 months post‐intervention. Results SAVRY identified statistically significant reductions in individual–clinical and social–contextual scales, with large effect sizes. Statistically significant changes, with moderate effect sizes, were noted in self‐report questionnaires. Reductions were in rumination, physical and verbal aggression, and anger. Improvements were in emotional awareness, emotion regulation, and impulsivity. Follow‐up showed favourable rates of aggression within the community and custody. Conclusions Risk reduction findings are important, pointing towards a generalized reduction in aggression risk following this intervention. Significantly, participants also demonstrated improvement in empathy, a direct treatment target. Treatment‐related change was multidomain, across several areas addressed by the intervention. This study therefore found good evidence for the utility of LMV‐E in addressing risk of aggression for young people.