Investigating the Impact of Group Work on Homicide
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Group Work on Homicide: Participant Perspectives on its Value and Contribution to Recovery and Risk Reduction
IRAS ID
130060
Contact name
Simon Duff
Contact email
Research summary
Homicide is a rare but significant event, and a difficult area to access for research. Historically, studies have focussed on homicide rates rather than focussing on homicide as a phenomenon (Lim, Bond and Bond, 2005) or the specific treatment of homicide offenders themselves (Adshead, Bose & Cartwright, 2008). This study therefore aims to explore the experiences of those at the heart of homicide group therapy within a high security hospital setting, with a view to gaining a greater understanding of the impact on the offender patient, both in terms of their risk reduction and recovery pathway. Homicide groups within Broadmoor are recovery focussed, in accordance with recent government incentives (Drennan, Law & Alred, 2012). Putting recovery into action means focusing care on supporting and building the resilience of people with mental illness or disorder (Simpson & Penney, 2011). For those in forensic settings this is complicated due to several factors 1) mental illness does not necessarily include recovery from offending behaviour 2) there is a high prevalence of Personality Disorder amongst offender patients, a population for whom ‘recovery’ may differ from those with Mental Illness and 3) most ‘recovery’ oriented therapies in forensic settings are enforced rather than voluntary (Green, Batson & Gudjonsson, 2011). The Homicide Treatment Groups at the study site are attended by those with a variety of mental disorders, and the aims of this study are to build a profile of who is referred for homicide group work, and to interview group members in order to obtain greater insight into the concept of recovery and risk reduction from their perspective.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1376
Date of REC Opinion
18 Nov 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion