Dangerous and severe personality disordered patients' engagement in education : extent, rationale and developmental impacts

• Main Author: Mousley, Perdita
• Other Authors: Bell, Leslie
• Published: University of Lincoln 2015
• Subjects: 370; X900 Others in Education
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.674555

This thesis explores the extent of rationales for developmental impacts of personality disordered offenders’ engagement in education. The study investigates the educational experiences of a sample of twelve personality disordered offenders receiving interventions in a high secure hospital unit. Engaging offenders in education in prison is challenging as many offenders have apprehensions, apprehensions about joining education which stem from previous negative educational experiences. Many offenders share a common profile, they come from disadvantaged backgrounds, fail to engage at school and leave education with low levels of attainment and poor personal and social skills. Lack of skills and qualifications often leads to a pattern of repeat offending. The combination of previous experiences, offending histories and mental disorder pose particular problems for personality disordered offenders in relation to their engagement in education. A qualitative case study research method is employed to understand the educational experiences of the twelve participants, which are compared to existing theories on offender education. The findings of this research reveal that in addition to previous learning experiences, emotional, behavioural and social difficulties create barriers to learning. In particular mental health issues are found to negatively influence personality disordered offenders’ engagement in education. Although there are barriers that negatively impact on learning other factors are identified as encouraging engagement in education. The reason why individuals start education is not necessarily the reason why they continue. Therefore factors that initially engage offenders in education as well as factors that maintain offenders’ continued engagement in education are explored. Whilst there are some interrelating factors that engage offenders in initial and continued education additional factors are also realised. Engaging personality disordered offenders in education is important as education has the power to enrich, change and develop people (Meek et al, 2012). The findings determine that as well as developing academically, the outcomes of personality disordered offenders’ continued engagement in education are increased social skills and self-awareness, the greatest agent for change. The final conclusions indicate that personality disordered offenders’ engagement in education can be explained through the concept of ‘gradualness’.