No abstract

This study identifies specific readiness areas that might need to be addressed in efforts to improve engagement and retention in treatment. A wider range of methodologies is required for future studies.

The three aims of the study reported were to investigate the functions of self-harm in a population of patients detained in the Peaks Unit at Rampton hospital, to investigate the context and nature of this behaviour and to examine how staff respond to incidents of selfharm. The findings indicate that there may be some functions of self-harm specific to this population in addition to those found in other settings, namely expression of aggression and revenge. The context and nature of incidents were similar to those found in other secure settings. A range of staff responses were observed, and indicated high demand on staff time and resources. Limitations of the methods are discussed, with proposals for future research.

Purpose. There is widespread acceptance that sexual fantasy plays a role in sexual offences but little clarity as the nature of this relationship. This paper seeks to understand better the role of fantasy in offending behaviour through the study of sexual fantasy in Internet child pornography offenders when compared with contact offenders. Differences in the patterns of sexual fantasy associated with the different offender types are explored in order to understand how fantasy content is associated with contact offences with children and desisting from such direct acting out.Methods. Participants were all convicted of child sexual offences and recruited with the help of the probation and prison services. Out of these, 16 were Internet-only offenders, 25 were contact offenders with no history of Internet offending and 10 were offenders with a mixed contact and Internet offending history. A variety of selfcompletion questionnaires including fantasy were completed on an individual basis together with a detailed interview.Results. The most common sexual fantasies were typical adult-male heterosexual fantasies though a variety of child-oriented and other fantasies were also common. Contact offenders reported fewer girl-oriented sexual fantasies although the groups did not differ in terms of terms of boy-oriented fantasies. There was evidence that confrontational fantasies were commoner among contact offenders than Internet offenders. There are relationships between early sexual experiences and fantasy but peer sexual contacts seemed to be important rather than sexual abuse.Conclusion. Generally, the contact offenders seem to have less sexual fantasy pertinent to their offending than did Internet offenders. Fantasy deficit may be involved in contact offending against children.The seminal paper by MacCulloch, Snowden, Wood, and Mills (1983) promoted acceptance of the idea that fantasy is involved in sex offending by documenting this in violent psychiatric patients. An alternative root of the idea is the work of the FBI

This paper describes the clinical and risk characteristics of patients admitted over the first four years of operation of the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disordered (DSPD) NHS pilot at the Peaks Unit, Rampton Secure Hospital. There were 124 referrals, mainly from Category A and B prisons, resulting in 68 DSPD admissions. Clinically, 29% scored 30 or more on the Psychopathy Checklist. The most common personality disorders were antisocial, borderline, paranoid and narcissistic. There is a high risk of violent/sexual recidivism as measured by the Static‐99, Violence Risk Scale, and the Historical, Clinical and Risk Management Scale.