DSPD: Dangerous People with Severe Personality Disorder Initiative | What we're doing


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Psychopathy Programme

Over the past 3 years HM Prison Service’s Offending Behaviour Programmes Unit (OBPU) has been developing an intervention to reduce recidivism in violent offenders who score over 25 on the Psychopathy Checklist Revised. The team has identiﬁed evidence based treatment targets, a set of intervention strategies, programme content, and guidelines for the wider therapeutic environment.

To date the team has consulted widely with international experts in the assessment and treatment of Psychopathy and violence risk, carried out an extensive literature review, and completed a range of research projects.

Previous research consistently indicates that psychopaths present a range of treatment interfering behaviours. In addition, the majority of the literature on therapeutic outcome with psychopaths is fairly pessimistic. The studies undertaken by OBPU have focussed on addressing issues raised by previous research, and identifying empirically sound principles to provide solid foundation for the programme. This research has included the following:

• Two analyses of the violence related treatment needs of psychopaths

• A comparison of the social and thinking (socio-cognitive) skills of violent psychopaths and violent non-psychopaths

• An investigation of the effectiveness of accredited cognitive skills programmes with psychopathic offenders

• An in-depth study of motivation in psychopathic offenders

• The development of an evidence based competency framework for staff working with psychopaths

• The development of a ‘neuro-cognitive’ test battery

• Several studies exploring factors undermining interventions with psychopaths

Since April 2002, OBPU have been working in partnership with the Home Ofﬁce DSPD team. The aim of this collaboration is to develop a Violence Programme for Psychopaths for availability in two DSPD sites, Rampton Hospital and Frankland Prison. OBPU have been working in consultation with staff from the two sites to ensure the programme ﬁts within each regime.

For further information contact:

Gill Attrill
Email: Gill.Attrill@hmps.gsi.gov.uk

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