Good Practice in Working with Violence: (Good Practice in Health, Social Care and Criminal Justice)

This volume focuses on working with perpetrators of violence that has resulted in both physical and psycholgical harm. Drawing on the experiences of contributors from a range of backgrounds, the text discusses the challenges involved in working with violence and its effects, including: the extent to which violent behaviours can be predicted; the moral and ethical issues involved in assessment; how far violent behaviours can be successfully managed in the community or institutions; and the issue of public protection.;Designed to be relevant for a variety of practice settings, this text provides a comprehensive guide to the techniques and skills required for good practice in assessing and managing violence.

Table of Contents:
Introduction, Hazel Kemshall, DeMontfort University, and Jacki Pritchard, Trainer and Consultant. 1. Sentencing Violent Offenders, Judge David Bentley QC. 2. Young Offenders Who Commit Grave Crimes: The Criminal Justice Response, Gwyneth Boswell, University of East Anglia. 3. The Assessment and Management of Violent Offenders, Hazel Kemshall, DeMontfort University. 4. Working with Men Who are Violent to Partners: Striving for Good Practice, David Morran, University of Stirling and Monica Wilson, CHANGE. 5. Managing Violence; Managing Masculinity, Karen Buckley, Nottinghamshire Probation Service. 6. Violent Women: Building Knowledge-Based Intervention Strategies, Judith Rumgay, London School of Economics. 7. South Asian Young Women's Experiences of Violence and Abuse, Umme Farvah Imam, University of Durham. 8. Linking Thoughts to Actions: Using the Integrated Abuse Cycle in Assessing Sexually Aggressive Children, Colin Hawkes, Consultant Social Worker. 9. Children in Danger of Violence from their Carers: Lessons from the Literature and Practice, Ann Hagell, Policy Research Bureau and Renuka Jeyarajah Dent, The Bridge Child Care Development Service. 10. Managing Violence in Residential Settings, Angela Stanton-Greenwood, Barnardos. 11. Violence in High Secure Hospital Settings - Measuring, Assessing and Responding, Colin Dale, University of Central Lancashire, Phil Woods, University of Manchester, George Allan and Walter Brennan, Ashworth Hospital. 12. Public Protection, Potentially Violent Offenders and the Role of Senior Managers, Gill MacKenzie, Gloucestershire Probation Service. 13. Training on Violence and Aggression, Ron Wiener, Trainer and Consultant. References. Index.

About the Author :
Hazel Kemshall is currently Professor of Community and Criminal Justice at DeMontfort University. She was previously a senior lecturer at Birmingham University and has practice and management experience with the Probation Service. She has written extensively on risk assessment and risk management, and has recently completed research for the Economic and Social Research Council. Jacki Pritchard is a qualified social worker who has worked as a practitioner and manager in both fieldwork and hospital settings. She is currently working as a trainer, consultant and researcher focusing on abuse, risk and violence.

Review :
The title conveys exactly the content of the book, with the main thrust concerning good practices for working with violence in health and welfare. All 13 chapters, written by different authors, are absorbing and well-referenced... There is a welcome focus on multi-disciplinary team-working, which cements the book's underlying message that violence should be explored within an interprofessional context. Most certainly, this is important reading for health, social and probation service professionals, managers and students. The book covers both adults and children, both genders and different cultures, which gives the reader a very wide area to learn form. It should attract a vast readership amongst all health care professionals providing both primary and secondary care. In this very complex topic, the authors outlined interesting case histories. Some of the facts were alarming, which highlighted that as an A&E nurse, my knowledge of this area was very limited... It supplied an in-depth information with sound research and literature searches with a list of eminent contributors. The lists of further reading and references at the end of each chapter are useful methods to assist students interested in further researching this topic.