Offending Behaviour: Moral Reasoning, Criminal Conduct and the Rehabilitation of Offenders

• NCJ Number: 204053
• Author(s): Emma J. Palmer
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 240 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Overview Text
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In providing a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the relationship between psychology, moral-reasoning theory, and offending behavior, this book reviews the theory and research that has been conducted in the field and examines the ways in which this knowledge has been used in practice to develop treatment programs for offenders.

Abstract

The introductory chapter summarizes the major theories of offending from a psychological perspective in order to provide background for identifying moral reasoning as an explanation of offending. The theories reviewed include psychobiological, psychodynamic, learning, cognitive, and control theories. The subsequent chapters focus on moral-reasoning theory. The second chapter considers the first generation of moral reasoning theories as proposed by Jean Piaget and expanded upon by Lawrence Kohlberg. The limitations of Kohlberg's theory are considered in chapter 3, with reference to the claims that it is gender biased toward males and culturally biased toward Western cultures; a recent revision of Kohlberg's theory by John Gibbs is discussed. Chapter 4 considers the measurement of moral reasoning, as it provides an overview of the various standardized measures that have been used to assess moral reasoning. The fifth chapter focuses on the relationship between Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning and offending. This is followed by a chapter that incorporates moral reasoning into a wider explanation of offending that takes into account other social and psychological factors known to be related to offending. A chapter then addresses the issues associated with intervention for offenders, reviewing those programs that include moral reasoning and providing descriptions of their content. Evaluations of the effectiveness of these interventions are also reviewed, with attention to their impact on both the offender's level of moral reasoning and reduction in offending. The concluding chapter suggests the next steps for the development of moral-reasoning theory, the clarification of the link between moral reasoning and offending, and the implications of these for interventions to reduce offending. 7 tables, 2 figures, 655 references, and a subject index