The present study applied the Criminal Narrative Experience for the first time with young offenders ( N = 23). The analysis was based on young people serving a community sentence and attending a Youth Offending Team. Participants completed questionnaires relating to their roles and emotions during a typical offence and data were examined with Smallest Space Analysis (SSA) to identify if the themes were replicated. Three themes were identified: Calm Professional, Elated Hero, and a combined theme of Distressed Revenger and Depressed Victim. Correlation indicated links between Narrative Experience and static and dynamic risk factors. Findings suggest that the Calm Professional theme correlates with Neighbourhood risk factors, the Elated Hero with Attitudes to Offending, and the Distressed Revenger/Depressed Victim theme with Living Arrangements and Family and Personal Relationships. Potential reasons for identifying three rather than four themes with this sample are discussed. Implications of findings in preventing reoffending are highlighted.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.