28th International Congress of Psychology August 8 ... - U-netSURF

In criminal law the prosecution is required to establish that the accused intended to cause harm or
injury. However, in civil law matters the emphasis is on the consequences of the act, the plaintiff
must be restored to his/her original position and where this cannot occur, compensation paid. We
review Australian statutory and case law, describe studies which have examined public perception
on the role of intention and consequences in stalking legislation and sentencing, and report
findings of public opinion about the age of criminal responsibility and how intention and
consequences impacts on that opinion. Finally, we examine the implications of these findings for
psychological theories.
1018.2 The relationship between sentencing decisions and personality, perceptions of the
criminal justice system and fear of crime, including terrorism, in an Australian community sample,
A. Knowles, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria, Australia
This study investigated the manner in which Australia community members’ beliefs about crime,
demographic characteristics, crime victimisation experiences and personality variables (anxiety
and authoritarianism) predicted Fear of Crime (FOC). The sample comprised 306 community
members, 42% male (M = 46 years) and 58% female (M = 44 years). Participants completed a
questionnaire that measured FOC, crime protective behaviours, perceived personal vulnerability,
actual criminal victimisation, anxiety, legal authoritarianism, beliefs regarding crime causation
and views on sentencing. Results indicate the extent to which personal characteristics and
experience of being a victim of crime predict FOC, including fear of terrorism, and views on
sentencing.
1018.3 Readiness for treatment in offenders, K. Howells, A. Day, University of South Australia,
Adelaide, Australia
The "what works" approach to offender rehabilitation is now well established in many
jurisdictions around the world. The incorporation of the risk and criminogenic needs principles
advocated by Canadian researchers has lead to major advances and to improved rehabilitation
outcomes. In this paper, we focus on the role of treatment readiness as a determinant of
engagement in treatment, the latter being a likely mediator of offender change in treatment We
discuss theories and models of what constitutes readiness and describe an approach to its
definition and measurement, with particular reference to violent offenders.
1018.4 Treatment of violent offenders and psychopaths, S. Wong, University of Saskatchewan
and Correctional Service of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Evidence will be presented to show that the appropriate treatment of high-risk, high-need
incarcerated violent offenders can reduce the risk of violent recidivism. The Risk, Need, and
Responsivity principles are critical to guiding the provision of effective treatment to these
offenders. Just as important is the use of appropriate program management principles to maintain
program integrity and to avoid program drift. It is also essential to establish functional working
alliances and to maintain therapeutic boundaries with treatment resistant offenders such as violent
psychopathic offenders. These fundamental approaches to the design and implementation of an
effective correctional treatment program will be discussed.
1018.5 Psychology in law, petrol sniffing, aboriginal Australians, J. White, University of South
23