An exploration of shame in violent female offenders Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of shame in violent female offenders
IRAS ID
189394
Contact name
Emma Macey
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 29 days
Research summary
Background information
Over the past ten years the number of female prisoners in Scotland has more than doubled leading to changes in the female custodial estate across Scotland. It has recently been announced that the plans for a new female prison in Inverclyde have been rejected and replaced with plans to invest in smaller regional community based facilities instead. These changes will increase the number of female offenders within communities highlighting the importance of conducting research in these settings.
Female offenders have extremely complex health and social needs, some of which are distinct from the needs of male offenders and therefore require research that focuses on the context of both their lives and offences.
The experience of shame is linked with a wide array of psychological symptoms and is a common consequence of complex trauma, which has a high prevalence in female offenders. Shame proneness is linked to anger and hostility, which is related to violent offending. However, shame in violent female offenders is poorly understood and requires further exploration.
Study design
The proposed study will aim to recruit 12 violent female offenders. Participants will be recruited from Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire criminal justice services, Tomorrow’s Women in Glasgow and the Willow project in Edinburgh. Background information will be collected and a semi-structured interview conducted, this will take approximately 60 minutes. The study is being carried out as part of a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and is sponsored by the University of Edinburgh. The process of data collection, analysis and publication is planned to take two years.
This study is important because shame in violent female offenders is unexplored and requires further investigation in order to identify changing needs, help shape treatment options and inform evidence-based treatment and interventions.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
15/SS/0228
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jan 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion