by rbartels | Sep 30, 2014 | Forensic
In a new nextgenforensic post, Ross Bartels discusses sexual offender cognition. Specifically, he argues that there has been a heavy focus on distorted cognitions related to sex. Drawing upon some existing research and theory, Ross highlights the importance of understanding antisocial (non-sexual) cognition. As a result, he calls for researchers to start exploring sexual offenders’ cognitions that are not sex-specific but which have an aetiological role in their offending behaviour.
Read the full post here
Ross is an Associate Editor of nextgenforensic, which is an academic community blog for the next generation of researchers and practitioners that want to communicate their ideas and work to a wider audience. If you wish to contribute, please click here for more info.
by rbartels | Sep 29, 2014 | Forensic
Recently, PhD student Craig Harper attended and presented at the International Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders’ (IATSO) biennial conference in Porto (Portugal). The FCRG team caught up with Craig to hear how he found the experience.
1) Hi Craig, can you briefly describe the IATSO conference and why you wanted to attend/present there?
IATSO is one of the largest societies within which members either research sexual crime or work directly in the treatment, sentencing and management of sexual offenders. I wanted to attend the conference in Porto in order to hear about the latest research developments in the field, as well as to present my own work, and be able to network with some of the biggest names in the world that work in a similar area to the one that I am currently researching.
2) What did you present?
I was fortunate enough to have both of my submitted abstracts accepted. Firstly, I presented a poster based on my work that reimagines and reconceptualises the Community Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders (CATSO) scale. This work uses classic and contemporary theoretical work into the differences between ‘attitudes’ (which typically involve emotionally-driven judgements) and ‘stereotypes’ (which typically involve knowledge-based judgements), and applying these theories to the CATSO scale. When we looked at the questions of the CATSO, we realised that many of them referred to stereotypes, rather than attitudes, so we have submitted a paper (currently under review with the journal ‘Psychology, Crime & Law’) reconceptualising the CATSO as an outcome measure, rather than one of attitudes. This new scale is called the ‘Perceptions of Sex Offenders Scale’ (PSO).
Secondly, I gave a talk on my first piece of PhD research, within which I identified that a small number of sexual crime cases dominated news coverage of this issue, and subsequently appeared to impact upon public and political discussions about how we should respond to sexual crime at both the legislative and social levels. From these findings, I developed a theoretical model called the ‘Prototype-Willingness Model of Sexual Crime Discourse’, which is essentially a dual-process model of thinking, within which the activation of a ‘prototype’ (or an example case) brings about a more punitive response to sexual crime than would otherwise have been suggested. For more information on this work, you can see a post that I wrote for the growing nextgenforensic blog, or see the paper that I published (co-authored with my PhD supervisor, Prof. Todd Hogue) in the Howard Journal of Criminal Justice.
3) How did you find that experience/s?
Having the opportunity to present my work to some of the leading names in my area was both quite nerve-wracking and exciting. I found the experience to be a positive one, though, and received many complimentary comments about my work. I was even stopped in the street in Porto after the event by a delegate from the USA who said he enjoyed the talk that I delivered – which was great to hear! Since the conference, we have been contacted by several researchers who are interested in using the PSO, and are planning to launch a study looking at pan-European (and beyond) perceptions of sex offenders at some point, based on some of these discussions.
4) How did this conference differ to others you have presented at?
IATSO was probably the largest conference that I have presented at so far, but it was also one of the friendliest. There was a really positive atmosphere at the majority of the talks, with comments and questions being generally constructive. The one thing that did jump out at me was how approachable some of the bigger names in the field were, and how interested they were in hearing about your research. Being able to have conversations with people who I’ve been citing in essays and theses as an undergraduate and postgraduate was the biggest thing I’ll take away from the conference.
5) What was the best part/s of the conference for you and why?
The friendly nature of the conference was a big highlight. With there being such an ‘all-star cast’ of keynote speakers, I expected the conference to be quite formal, but was pleasantly surprised by how laid-back and responsive people were to both new ideas and new researchers. As I said previously, being able to see and speak to some of the biggest names in the field was also a highlight.
6) Finally, what would be your advice to other postgrad students who are thinking of attending/presenting at IATSO (or indeed any conference in the forensic field)?
Go for it! Having the opportunity to get your work heard about, network with leading names, and hear about the latest developments in the field is something that cannot (and should not) be missed. The next IATSO will be hosted in Copenhagen in 2016, but before that is ATSA, next year, in Montreal. Why not submit something there, where there’s a great postgraduate/young researcher community, too!
by rbartels | Sep 22, 2014 | Forensic
To kick off this year’s Research Seminar Series at the University of Lincoln, Dr Kyla Pennington will be giving a talk about the biological mechanisms thought to play a role in psychopathology, as indicated by evidence from neuropathological, biochemical, and genetic research findings. During the talk, Kyla will also be discussing her recent research investigating biological vulnerabilities to psychopathology and the role that stress and environmental factors play.
All are welcome to attend! If you’re interested in attending, the talk will be taking place on Wednesday 24th October at 4pm in the Co-Op Lecture Theatre (Minerva Building). Refreshments will be available from 3:45pm.
by rbartels | Sep 21, 2014 | Forensic
In April of this year, an academic community blog – named nextgenforensic – was set up by a number of next generation sex offender researchers from the UK, US, and Canada. The aim of the blog is to provide a platform for discussing new ideas regarding the theory, assessment, treatment, and prevention of sexual abuse and violence, as well as offering a space for researchers and practitioners to communicate their work and ideas to a wider audience.
FCRG member Ross Bartels sits on the editorial team for the blog as an Associate Editor, along with the two main Editors (Ian Elliott, Ian Mcphail), and two other Associate Editors (Caoilte Ó Ciardha, Kelly Babchishin). More recently, Danielle Kettleborough (of the FCRG) was appointed as the Student Editor for nextgenforensic. Over the past six months, the editors have posted numerous discussionary pieces, some of which have prompted responses from major figures in the field. There have also been a number of posts written by external contribitors, including doctoral researchers (one of which is a post by Craig Harper of the FCRG) and prominent researchers (e.g., Michael Seto offered valuable advice for nextgen researchers). As a result, the blog has attracted a growing interest from around the world.
nextgenforensic aims to continue in its endeavor to promote and encourage thought-provoking discussions, as well as disseminate cutting-edge knowledge and research to those interested in learning more about the complex field of sexual offending. If you would like to contribute by sharing some of your academic ideas, research, or insights regarding sexual abuse and violence, please click here for details on how to submit a post. You can also follow nextgenforensic on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Linkedin.
by rbartels | Sep 18, 2014 | Forensic
The FCRG are delighted to welcome a new member to team; Dr Amanda Roberts. Amanda joined the University of Lincoln last week as a Reader in psychology and today, at the first FCRG meeting of the academic year, the team heard about the exciting research projects that Amanda has undertaken, is currently working on, and plans to conduct. For those not familiar, Amanda adopts an epidemiological approach to the study of clinical and forensic phenomena. Broadly speaking, Amanda’s current academic interests revolve around the subject of risk, both at the individual and population level. Recently, this has involved looking into two particular behaviours; namely, pathological gambling and extensive pornography use. Amanda’s findings so far have highlighted some important gaps in the literature (e.g., gambling and pornography use by children and adolescents) that warrant future investigation.
Given that some clinical members of the FCRG research gambling behaviour (e.g., Dr Adrian Parke, Julie Pattinson) and some forensic members research pornography used by sexual offenders (e.g., Dr Hannah Merdian, Danielle Kettleborough), Amanda is an ideal addition to team. We are all eager to see (and share) more of Amanda’s research as it unfolds and look forward to collaborating with her on future projects.
If you wish to contact Amanda, you can do so at – aroberts@lincoln.ac.uk.
by rbartels | Sep 15, 2014 | Forensic
Two months ago, the British Medical Journal published a letter written by Rachel Orritt, a Research Assistant and PhD student member of FCRG. The letter (which can be accessed via this toll free link) addresses concerns over the way dog bites are talked about by members of the medical profession and in other spheres. Orritt called for an evidenced based approach, and suggested that medical professionals adopt a balanced viewpoint, taking into account the benefits of dog ownership alongside the risks. Orritt also pointed out that the figures that are frequently used by the government, academics and the media to describe the incidence of dog bites are incorrect.
The letter has generated a lot of interest, from coverage in the veterinary journal ‘The Veterinary Record’ to posts on popular science blogs such as ‘The Dodo’. Other sites that have discussed the letter include Science Daily, Read Medical News, Science Codex, Medical News Today, Entrepreneur.MD, AABSL, CAROdog, DoggyMom, PHD Tree, and Veooz.
The letter has also received a number of responses from various medical professionals, which Orritt has individually addressed. These can viewed here.
Orritt’s research focusses on aggressive behaviour in pet dogs. To learn more about her work, you can follow her on Twitter and read about her projects on her website http://rachelorritt.com. Rachel Orritt can be contacted at rorritt@lincoln.ac.uk
by rbartels | Sep 15, 2014 | Forensic
In February of this year, a study on psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNESs) – conducted by clinical psychologists Dr Lian Dimaro, Dr David Dawson and Dr Nima Moghaddam (in collaboration with researchers from the University of Sheffield, University of Nottingham, and Arizona State University) – was published in Epilepsy & Behavior. Unlike epileptic seizures, PNESs are thought to arise from complex psychological processes. Thus, in an attempt to understand PNES further, the study examined whether explicit and implicit anxiety was associated with seizure frequency and experiential avoidance in PNES sufferers (relative to epileptic seizure sufferers and controls). The findings offer insights into the aetiology of PNES and provide important implications for clinical practice. As such, the study has received growing interest and impressive coverage via websites such as Reddit, Sciencedaily, Sciencecodex, and epilepsyresearch.
For more information on the study, click on this link or contact Dr. Dimaro at lian.dimaro@gmail.com
by rbartels | Sep 13, 2014 | Forensic
Last week on the 10th Sept, (Prof. Todd Hogue) presented at National Organisation for the Treatment of Abusers’ (NOTA) Annual Conference in York, UK. Alongside Prof. Derek Perkins (of West London Mental Health Trust & University of Surrey), Prof. Hogue presented a workshop on “Assessing offence-related sexual interests in perpetrators of adult sexual violence”. The workshop involved explaining and demonstrating (via case examples) the various ways in which deviant sexual interest can be assessed in individuals who sexually offend against adults. Profs. Hogue and Perkins also provided insights from their own research during the workshop.
by rbartels | Aug 29, 2014 | Forensic
A number of forensic members of the FCRG will be attending and presenting at the International Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders’ (IATSO) 13th Annual Conference in Porto (Portugal) next month (3-6th Sept). More specifically:
– Prof. Todd Hogue will be chairing a symposium entitled “Cognition and Sexual Interests/Behaviours: New Theoretical, Assessment, & Treatment Insights’. Within this symposium, Prof. Hogue (alongside Prof. Derek Perkins) will present findings from their eye-tracking studies on sexual violence. Also, Dr. Ross Bartels will present his theoretical model of sexual thinking and fantasies.
– Dr Hannah Merdian will be presenting her research on Child Sexual Exploitation Material offenders within a symposium entitled “And yes, they ARE different!” (Treatment) Needs of Offenders who use Child Sexual Exploitation Material” (chaired by Prof. Doug Boer). Within this same symposium, Dr. Bartels will present a talk about the implicit theories of CSEM offenders. Finally, Dr. Merdian will present Danielle Kettleborough’s (PhD student) research about the development of a measure for assessing distorted cognition in CSEM offenders.
– PhD student, Craig Harper, will be presenting a talk about how sexual crime prototypes guide social and political discourse regarding sexual crime legislation. Craig will also be presenting a poster detailing a study that reimagines the Community Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders Scale (CATSO).
Finally, alongside Prof. Perkins, Dr. Merdian is running a workshop on how to manage CSEM offences and offenders.
The full programme for the conference can be found here:
http://www.iatso.org/images/stories/Porto2014/programm_web_08082014.pdf
If you’re interested in attending as a delegate, the registration information can be found here: http://www.iatso.org/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=60&vmcchk=1&Itemid=60
by craigharper | Aug 29, 2014 | Forensic
Dr Hannah Merdian recently published an article on The Conversation, looking at the links between the consumption of online child sexual exploitation material (i.e. indecent images/videos of children) and contact sexual offending. Her article was sparked by the recent uncovering of hundreds of arrests that were made by the National Crime Agency in relation to online sexual exploitation of children.
Dr Merdian’s article can be viewed here: http://theconversation.com/severity-and-risk-are-not-the-same-when-it-comes-to-indecent-images-of-children-29507
