Exploring High-risk Offender Treatment and the Role of Music Therapy

Exploring High-risk Offender Treatment and the Role of Music Therapy explores the treatment delivered to high-risk offenders with complex needs, focusing on sex and violent offenders. The book advocates for the further use of less traditional and creative therapies, in particular, music therapy. The higher the risk, the greater the needs. Offenders with complex needs have a range of factors impacting their abilities and well-being including mental health and learning disorders. Importantly, high-risk offenders commonly present with complex needs and, therefore, require treatment that is highly responsive. Guiding this book is the existing literature and qualitative research, conducted by the author, that sought to gain the perspectives and experiences of practitioners in the field. This included 38 interviews with those that deliver treatment to high-risk offenders and music therapy. This book examines the components of high-risk offender treatment, highlighting the effective elements and the limitations found within the literature and from the perspective of interviewed practitioners. Offering insight into less traditional therapies, the book presents literature surrounding mindfulness, psychodrama and art therapy for high-risk offenders. It is argued that there has been a recent shift towards a creative corrections approach, where less traditional therapies are gaining recognition within offender treatment, as they offer unique and supportive benefits to traditional treatment. This book focuses on examining the role of music therapy for high-risk offenders, mainly through a critical discussion on the relevant literature and qualitative practitioner data. Advocating the further implementation of creative corrections approaches, this book will be of great interest to academics and researchers within the fields of offender treatment and penology, as well as forensic psychologists and those studying or practicing music therapy.

Louise A. Sicard is an academic and lecturer of criminology and policing, working with Charles Sturt University, Australia. Louise's work focuses on offender treatment, penology, creative therapeutic approaches as well as young people and crime.

Introduction Part I: EXPLORING HIGH-RISK OFFENDER TREATMENT AND CREATIVE CORRECTIONS 1. The Higher the Risk, the Greater the Needs: High-risk Offender Treatment 2. Contemporary Offender Treatment from the Practitioner's Perspective 3. Moving Towards a Creative Corrections Approach PART II: MUSIC THERAPY AS A COMPONENT OF OFFENDER TREATMENT 4. Exploring the Research: Music Therapy for Offending Behaviour 5. The Practitioner's Perspective and Experience of Music Therapy for High-risk Offenders 6. The Role of Music Therapy in High-risk Offender Treatment Appendices References Index