Religiosity in Sex Offenders: Exploring the Role of Faith in Non-Offending Identities

2. Religiosity in sex offenders Dr. Stephanie Kewley 18th April 2016

3. Aim of this presentation is to explore the following: • How does faith/religion support the development of non-offending identities • Use of identity narratives help us to recognise persistence • What this might mean for practice

4. Background to my research

5. Review of the literature • Religious or Faith Based literature overwhelmingly finds More God means Less Crime (Johnson, 2011) • Two major reviews between 1944-2010: Johnson (2011) (N=272) and Baier and Wright (2001) (N=60) • Majority of studies focus on adolescents and anti-social behaviours not crime – none focus on sexual offending

6. Review of the literature • Desistance literature overwhelmingly finds engagement in pro-social, meaningful communities supports the process of change • No studies examined sexual offending population

7. Findings from Systematic Review* • Included 21 empirical studies which examined a relationship between religion/faith and offender/crime between 2010-2014 • Excluded: professionals who sexually offend and adolescents • Two studies found a harmful relationship between faith and crime. • Of which one study purposefully sampled those convicted of sexual offending - Eshuys & Smallbone (2006). Findings = religion harmful outcome for “stayers” • One study found no association and two a mixed relationship between faith and crime • 16 experienced positive effects from religious engagement • Reduced recidivism; substance use; desistance; emotional and psychological benefits; improved social capital etc. • No focus on effects in the context of rehabilitation *Kewley, S., Beech, A. R., & Harkins, L. (2015). Examining the role of faith community groups with sexual offenders: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 25, 142-149.

8. Research Problem 1 • How is faith experienced for those with a history of sexual offending when attempting to engage in a process of desistance?

9. Papers Kewley, S., Larkin, M., Harkins, L., & Beech, A. R. (in press). The Meaning Made of Religious and Spiritual Affiliation for Those Incarcerated for Sexual Offending In K. R. Kerley (Ed.), Religion in Prison. CA: Praeger. Kewley, S., Larkin, M., Harkins, L., & Beech, A. R. (in press). Restoring Identity: The use of religion as a mechanism to transition between an identity of sexual offending to a non-offending identity. Criminology & Criminal Justice.

10. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) • IPA • Grounded in phenomenology, hermeneutics and idiography • First person experience from third person perspective • Particular experience in particular context – none generalisable • Sample sizes small yet result in very rich data • Data Collection • In-depth account one to one semi-structured interviews • Structure more conversational • Data Analysis • Line by line coding • Iterative process of analysis and interpretation • Development of themes

11. Sample • Context of Sample • Prison Sample (N=9) • Small Cat. C prison purpose to accommodate VP’s, specialising in delivery of offender behaviour programmes. All serving prison sentences for sexual offences (see Table 1) • Community Sample (N=4) • Welsh probation area. Three participants released on licence one serving community sentence for sexual offences (see Table 2)

12. Key Finding (1) A religious and spiritual environment promotes factors needed to facilitate the desistance process

13. Religion and spirituality promotes factors associated with desistance

14. Key Finding (2) Persisting or Desisting? Incongruent identities

15. Case example: Norman • 58 - first conviction at 53 • Jehovah Witness • Attempted abduction female girl age 5 years and breach of SOPO • Previous attempted abduction and indecent assault female child 6 years + possession of indecent images of children • Reflection of interview: • Range of complex psychological traits • Delusional • Psychopathy • Domineering • Denial/blame • Victim stance • Some openness

16. Religious identity P: …if I was to say to you 24 7 it (right) is impossible to divorce my life from my religion (ok) it is impossible (ok) even though everything give you an example when I was in prison I got thrown out of erm Altcourse prison (mmm) for preaching (right) now they deny anything like that could ever happen but it happened they warned me off for carrying on preaching to people but to me I’d found the best audience I’d ever have in my life and people that needed this more than anything else (mmm) and while I didn’t make a nuisance of myself people came to me (mmm) you know I had a little group of 6 of us you know there was another Jehovah Witness in you know who had similar problems to my own and we used to just erm study together and gradually there was another one and another one then another one and another one I: so what does it mean to you then to be a Jehovah Witness P: it means everything its itsits it’s the truth… everything I mean what can I say its everything it is absolutely everything it’s it’s the most wonderful thing imaginable you know its its in the future it’s it’s I hope and pray if I’m forgiven that it will that it will erm spell and end to my problem you know cos this won’t exist in the new you know we believe there’s a new system coming you know after Armageddon and I know that that will be taken away from me that these these problems will be taken away from me so I never think like that again in my life you know (right) and that’s the day I’m waiting for as I say its ruined my life you know I want rid of this I don’t want this I want peace I want what everybody on planet earth wants (mmm)

17. Conflicts with Past Offending Identity I couldn’t sit in a meeting without my heart being ripped in two you know the thehypocrisy from me you know what (right) I mean I could be choked you know sat in a meeting I couldn’t switch from one to the other and just sit in a meeting and feel free and you know (right) my heart was in a knot (right) my mind was in a knot (ok) you know the freedom you know I just felt awful (right) you know I felt awful about it you know because you can you can kid people but you can’t kid ya god anything (right) you can’t kid anything there you know and I’d feel I’d feel terrible absolutely terrible if I’d done something wrong I’d been looking at pornography of any sort which was that was my problem (mm) if I’d been looking at pornography of any sort

18. Conflicts with Current Offending Identity I don’t deny that I went looking for those kind of things (right) I don’t deny that I’ve had problems with paedophilia (right) since I came of age 13 14…. I have a sexual attraction to young girls (right ok) ok erm which erm I’m obviously doing everything I can to work on (yea yea absolutely) you know erm I think I really got on terms with it now but I do accept what others say that its er a you know it’s a thing that is almost elastic that you can you know you can pull away from it and it will come back and you have to pull away from it again its its you know it’s a problem you know its its a problem but I don’t believe anymore that it’s a problem that should lead to criminality (right ok)….( could you talk a little bit about what you think your risk factors might be) the risk the risk factors [pause] I suppose its erm when you’ve got sort of like a craving any kind of craving (right) if it was hunger or whatever you know erm you know your body is kind of telling you certain things

19. Research Problem 2 Knowing these key findings how do practitioners incorporate this into the formal risk management process?

20. Paper Kewley, S., Beech, A. R., Harkins, L., & Bonsall, H. (2015). Effective risk management planning for those convicted of sexual offending. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 7(4), 237-257.

21. Sample • 217 initial risk management plans • Average age at point of sentence 44 years (SD=14.94) • Majority white (72%) males • Index offences: • Internet (27%) • Sexual Activity with Child (18%) • Attempted/Rape (16%) • Sexual Assault (11%) • Exposure (9%) • Other misc (21%)

22. Risk profile

23. Findings • Interested in number of aspects e.g. • The extent to which risk factors identified in initial assessment compared to subsequent plan • High risk cases • For today: • Support measures identified in plan • Non-statutory support measure • Use of faith community

24. Support in the RMP

25. Faith in the RMP

26. Conclusions • Large number of people released from prison are engaged in faith • 3/4 of those convicted of sexual offending: Robbers, 2009 • Faith community provides many of factors known to support desistance process • Role of reintegration is not sole duty of statutory services • RMP opportunity to explore statutory and non-CJ resources to aid accountability of process • Must not underestimate the role of narratives to guide assessment and RMPs

27. Contact Details: Stephanie.kewley@bcu.ac.uk Birmingham City University @S_Kewley http://www.bcu.ac.uk/social-sciences/about-us/staff/stephanie-kewley

28. Table 1. Description of Prison Sample

29. Table 2. Description of Community Sample