The Nature of Trauma-Informed Practice With Men Convicted of a Sexual Offence

Processes of risk assessment and rehabilitative treatment planning based on clinical judgments have gradually been replaced by more empirically informed methods (Bonta et al., in JAMA 39:127–144, 1998), including those informed by an EpiCrim approach. However, the authors of this chapter argue that these processes will continue to be limited unless a broader lens on criminogenic factors is adopted. A lens whereby traditionally ignored factors are acknowledged and incorporated into interventions and rehabilitation. One such factor that warrants greater acknowledgment is previous victimhood and associated trauma experienced by those convicted of sexual offences. Without the acknowledgment of a life course perspective, and the treatment of trauma as a dynamic factor, then the current field of view and focal range of the empirical lens remains unnecessarily limited and ineffective. Nonetheless, there are some specific challenges to acknowledging and addressing previous traumatic experiences in the criminal justice system. These include obstacles relating to the balance between public protection and rehabilitation; the constraints on the prison and probation service, and stigmatisation and distress experienced by those convicted of offences who have trauma histories. The current chapter outlines the potential causal relationship between trauma and offending, as well as the opportunities and challenges of trauma-informed practice in criminal justice contexts. It is hoped that by recognising these issues, the promise of the EpiCrim approach may be more fully realised.