Grendon and the Emergence of Forensic Therapeutic Communities: Developments in Research and Practice

Grendon and the Emergence of Forensic Therapeutic Communities Described as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the prison service, HMP Grendon is a unique, prison-based Democratic Therapeutic Community (DTC). Historically, it is the first prison DTC of its kind, and the forerunner to several recent similar initiatives. Its theoretical significance lies in its therapeutic regime, and its particularly challenging client profile. In practical terms, it has achieved remarkable results, and set the standards for staff-inmate relationships. For the first time in a single volume, a unique collection of research and practice papers has been created which highlights Grendon’s sustained contribution to our understanding of the role therapeutic communities have in effective interventions with offenders. With detailed analysis, and access to extensive records from Grendon’s database, papers focus on a wide range of inter-relating issues; for example, decency and quality of prison life, personality disordered and sex offender prisoners, and a range of therapies and security in a DTC setting. Chapters also discuss concept DTCs in the USA, the democratic nature of high security forensic psychiatric hospitals in Holland, and the pros and cons of doing research in prisons. The result is an in-depth and fascinating understanding of prison regimes.

Table of Contents:
About the Editors. Contributing Authors. Foreword. Acknowledgements. Part I: Developments in Therapeutic Communities. Introduction (Peter Bennett). 1. Introducing Forensic Democratic Therapeutic Communities (Alisa Stevens). 2. Dovegate Therapeutic Community: Bid, Birth, Growth and Survival (Eric Cullen and Alan Miller). 3. The Van der Hoeven Clinic: a Flexible and Innovative Forensic Psychiatric Hospital Based on Therapeutic Community Principles (Judith de Boer-van Schaik and Frans Derks). 4. A Therapeutic Distinction with a Difference: Comparing American Concept-Based Therapeutic Communities and British Democratic Therapeutic Community Treatment for Prison Inmates (Douglas S. Lipton). 5. Towards a Social Analytical Therapy (John Shine).  Part II: Practice. 6. Putting Principles into Practice: The Therapeutic Community Regime at HMP Grendon and its Relationship with the ‘Good Lives' Model (Michael Brookes). 7. Personality Disorder: Using Therapeutic Communities as an Integrative Approach to Address Risk (Richard Shuker). 8. Psychodrama as Part of Core Therapy at HMP Grendon (Jinnie Jefferies). 9. Self and Social Function: Art Therapy and Readiness for Treatment in a Therapeutic Community Prison (Bill Wylie). 10. Undertaking Therapy at HMP Grendon with Men Who Have Committed Sexual Offences (Geraldine Akerman). Part III: Research and Outcomes. 11. Reflections on Grendon: Interviews with Men Who Are About to Leave (Elizabeth Sullivan). 12. ‘This can't be real': Continuity at HMP Grendon (Lorna A. Rhodes). 13. The Experience of Officers in a Therapeutic Prison: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (James McManus). 14. Emotional Influence and Empathy in Prison-Based Therapeutic Communities (Karen Niven, David Holman and Peter Totterdell). 15. The Quality of Life of Prisoners and Staff at HMP Grendon (Guy Shefer). 16. Suicide and Self-injurious Behaviours at HMP Grendon (Adrienne Rivlin). 17. Changes in Prison Offending Among Residents of a Prison-Based Therapeutic Community (Margaret Newton). 18. Changes in Interpersonal Relating Following Therapeutic Community Treatment at HMP Grendon (Richard Shuker and Michelle Newberry). 19. The Experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Prisoners in a Therapeutic Community Prison (Michelle Newberry). 20. Research in Prison (Martin J. Fisher, Carol Ireland and Elizabeth Sullivan). Index.

About the Author :
Richard Shuker is a Chartered Forensic Psychologist and Head of Psychology and Research at HMP Grendon. He is series editor for the book series Issues in Forensic Psychology and has publications in the areas of therapeutic communities, risk assessment, and treatment readiness and outcome. Elizabeth Sullivan is currently Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Bedfordshire and a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Bedfordshire and Luton NHS Partnership Mental Health Trust. Dr Sullivan was a Senior Research Officer at HMP Grendon between 2004 and 2007, during which time she expanded the qualitative research agenda.