Assisting desistance in the community: A comparative study of desistance-oriented practices amongst community corrections officers in Australia and Germany

• In Event: Supporting desistance in community sanctions and measures

Abstract

The number of people on community-based supervision orders has steadily increased in recent years, but mainstream approaches are limited in their ability to promote rehabilitative outcomes. In response, there has been a shift in recent correctional thinking towards rehabilitative practices based on desistance theories. However, little is known about how widespread desistance-oriented practices are in community supervision, whether there is systematic variation in practice between jurisdictions, and whether these practices influence correctional outcomes. A survey of community correctional officers in Australia and Germany examined the extent to which officers engaged in desistance-oriented practices, the relationship between such practices and officer-reported client (engagement, breaches) and staff (self-efficacy, burnout) outcomes, and attitudinal drivers of desistance-oriented practice. Implications for enhancing supervision experiences and outcomes are discussed.

Authors

• Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, Flinders University

• Verena Oberlader, University of Mainz