Excluded : a trauma-informed approach to understanding offender criminogenic needs and prospects of rehabilitation

Abstract

When discussing offending behaviour, much of the mainstream discourse observed in the media, most notably on social media, seems to centre on the need for more punitive measures- the longer, the more retributory, the better. Malta is already fairly reliant on incarceration. The CrimeMalta Observatory (Formosa, 2020) reported that by the end of 2020, Malta’s prison, Corradino Services Agency (formerly known as Corradino Correctional Facility) housed almost 900 inmates (Eurostat, 2012). In fact, over a ten-year span, the Corradino Services Agency has almost doubled its prison population (45%) - a prison structure that was originally designed and built in the 19th century (Georgiev, 2016, Scicluna, 2004). On the other hand, the underlying causes of offending are often ignored. Furthermore, many offenders will report having experienced trauma and adversity, with many of these experiences dating back to childhood (Baglivio & Epps, 2016). The broader implications of this on an interpersonal basis, but also in relation to community-based factors, as a whole need to be considered, as many of these can easily lead to social exclusion. This paper shall discuss the relationship between trauma and offending, through a Risk-Need-Responsivity perspective (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). The implications of taking a trauma-informed perspective in the rehabilitation of offenders shall be discussed.