Jersey Skills Study CREDOS 2010

1. Jersey Skills StudyCREDOS 2010 Brian Heath Chief Probation Officer Jersey Probation and After Care Service Professor Peter Raynor Swansea University

2. Jersey 45 Square miles with population of 91,000 Self Governing since 1204, own Parliament Relative prosperity: GNI = $66K U.S - high expectations – Low Public Expenditure Parish system - local solutions Probation Service is a Department of the Court Political stability – reports to Probation Board (Judges) - sense of shared ownership 5,000 crimes pa 35% - 40% detection rate

3. Evidence Based Practice in Jersey £1.6 million revenue budget, (decreasing) 86% staff costs £25,000 budget programmes, grants etc 600 – 700 reports per year Approx 150 -200 Probation Orders per year Approx 200 Community Service Orders per year Automatic prison through care since 2006. Approx 25% take up of Voluntary After Care 39 employees (27 Full time equivalent) Caseloads under 40 12 volunteers

5. The Presentation • Overview of the project – including a look at a session • Findings so far • Next steps • Why Jersey? • Service considerations • The risks and rewards of partnership with academia

6. Overview • Swansea University Research – Peter Raynor, Pamela Ugwudike, Maurice Vanstone • Commissioned by JPACS • Chapter 6 of the Offender Supervision book.

7. Overview • Aim: analysis of 100 interviews (10 from each of 10 officers) to identify skills used • Comparison with impact measures: changes in risk/need, and eventual reconviction follow-up • So far: 99 tapes in, 78 reviewed using new instrument. 63 results aggregated for statistical reporting.

8. Overview • Version 7c of the instrument • Strong voluntary principle means rebuilding support for study at intervals • Officers need to distinguish the study from management and appraisal • Officers need to remember to record • Previous instrument modified (following CREDOS discussion) to be less judgmental in tone and to include more ‘structuring’ skills in addition to ‘relationship’ skills

9. Overview • Version 7c covers presence or absence of: • Set up S • Non-verbal communication N • Verbal communication V • Use of authority A • Motivational interviewing M • Pro-social modelling P • Problem solving S • Cognitive restructuring C • Overall interview structure O • Total

10. Influenced by: Andrews and Bonta’s list (2003) of Core Correctional Practices • Relationship skills • Structuring skills • Effective reinforcement • Effective modelling • Effective disapproval • Structured skill learning • Problem solving • Advocacy/brokerage • Effective authority + legitimacy

11. Dowden and Andrews (2004): • Effective use of authority • Modelling and reinforcing anti criminal attitudes • Teaching problem solving skills • Effective use of community resources • Relationship factors: open, warm, enthusiastic, mutual respect, therapeutic alliance, + communication skills

12. Preliminary analysis • Does 7C distinguish between officers? • Are officers consistent in the skills they use? • Do officers who use more skills do so over a wide range of interviews? • Seven officers with 4-10 interviews in database (at July 2010) – most slides from 6 officers 44 interviews

13. Scatterplot of total scores for six officers (44 interviews):

14. Boxplots for seven officers with four or more interviews in first 63 analysed

15. Possible and actual mean score

16. Individual officers

17. Individual officers

18. Individual officers

19. Individual officers

20. Individual officers

21. Individual officers

22. Individual officers

23. Differences between officers are (so far): • Substantial • Consistent across a number of interviews • Consistent across different types of interviews • More evident in ‘structuring’ skills (maybe reflecting social work training of this group) • Next step: impact measures

24. Next steps • 4 or 5 more tapes • Finish the analysis • Cross reference with clients’ before and after LSI-R scores and reconviction data. • Cross reference with Officers’ overall client performance? • Can the checklist then be used for training and development purposes? • Retain tapes for other research purposes

25. Why Jersey - and the benefits and risks of working with academia? • Longstanding belief that research is about informing practice • “Culture of curiosity” • Keeps Officers interested and enthused • Previous research has proved to be cost effective. • There is so much we don’t know

26. Why Jersey and the benefits and risks of working with academia • Taken a long time - busy staff team; client and officer consent needed. • Research can’t be the priority • Initial suspicion from Officers, CPO originally one of checklist reviewers! • Results will be published – reputation risk • My job is to use research findings to help me improve the service we provide

27. Frequently used sentences – High likelihood of Reconviction LSI-R 23 - 50