Interventions with Prolific Offenders: Exploring Risk and Need

This paper explores issues arising from an evaluation research study of a pilot project which provides accommodation for prolific offenders in Exeter in SW England (Southern, Annison, Vicente and Fisher 2008). A main element of the study was to investigate whether the project could be shown to be having a positive impact in terms of the reduction of re-offending by the prolific offenders receiving this service. While the research study focused on evaluating the accommodation provision and support, a range of wider theoretical and practice issues arose. This initiative was taking place within the wider context of national and local policy developments in relation to prolific and other priority offenders (PPOs). The research area therefore provided an opportunity to explore and analyse different responses by the constellation of partnership agencies who were involved - statutory agencies such as probation and the police, and the voluntary agency being evaluated. The process of identifying and targeting prolific and other priority offenders rests with Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, which take local circumstances and concerns into account. For the individual offender such identification leads to a package of intensive oversight within the community. The element of Probation supervision relies upon actuarial risk assessment tools, with a particular focus on dynamic risk factors. A range of issues are thus explored here: first, tensions between rehabilitation, punishment and incapacitation. Second, conceptions of risk and need in relation to individual offenders and in relation to responses by the different agencies.