Papers by Tony Ward, MA (Hons), PhD, DipClinPsyc
Child <html_ent glyph="@amp;" ascii="&"/> Family Social Work, 2006
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Evolutionary Criminology, 2015
Our understanding of criminal behavior can, in principle, be informed by our understanding of the... more Our understanding of criminal behavior can, in principle, be informed by our understanding of the evolutionary functions and evolutionary history of the relevant behaviors, and the proximate psychological and neurobiological processes that underpin them. In this chapter we aim to explore the contribution of distal explanations to our understanding of crime. These correspond to Tinbergen's first two levels of explanation: adaptation and phylogeny. We begin by outlining some key explanatory targets for criminological theories. In particular, we suggest that any comprehensive explanation for crime needs to be able to explain why it is that certain types of criminal acts occur, why they tend to be patterned in particular ways (in terms of the social relationships between offenders and victims), and why it is that males are more likely to commit crimes than females. We will argue throughout this chapter, focusing largely on interpersonal violence, that the distal level of explanation is the most salient for our explanation of these criminological phenomena.
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Evolutionary Criminology, 2015
In this chapter, we introduce some key theoretical concepts that evolutionary biologists employ t... more In this chapter, we introduce some key theoretical concepts that evolutionary biologists employ to understand the biological world, and offer a sketch of the unique trajectory of hominin evolution over the past seven million years. An important evolutionary feature of all living organisms is adaptation. We begin this chapter with a discussion of plant adaptation in the presence of (now extinct) predators, and then proceed to the more specific instance of human evolution. Although it is largely understood that all forms of life on our planet have evolved in some way from their ancestral lineage, Homo sapiens is unique among Earth’s creatures for its astounding (and continuing) evolutionary success. Much of this success can be attributed not only to an amazing ability to adapt to, and in fact change, the external environment, but also to an ability to construct social norms, expectations, and penalties, through a positive feedback mechanism, that ensure the best possible evolutionary outcome for the species as a whole.
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Sex and Sexuality: Sexual …, 2006
Page 193. 8 The Management of Sex Offenders: Introducing a Good Lives Approach Rachael M. Collie,... more Page 193. 8 The Management of Sex Offenders: Introducing a Good Lives Approach Rachael M. Collie, Tony Ward, and Theresa A. Gannon Sexual offending is a socially significant and complex problem that has become the ...
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Evolutionary Criminology, 2015
Rates of offending vary over time and space. In this chapter, we first provide an overview of the... more Rates of offending vary over time and space. In this chapter, we first provide an overview of the nature of this variation and identify the main criminological explanations that have been developed to account for the patterns that are found. Our focus is, therefore, on cultural and social structural explanations. We begin with an overview of historical trends in crime, focusing on the long-term trends in Western society since the middle ages, then turning to a discussion of the international crime drop that began in the early 1990s. We next provide an overview of ecological variation in crime rates at various levels of spatial aggregation: neighborhoods, cities, regions, and countries. We outline various explanations for these temporal and spatial patterns focusing on social structural changes, changes in routine activities, and cultural changes. In the final section of the chapter, we argue that an evolutionary perspective is relevant for understanding the findings that we present and can add explanatory value to existing theoretical accounts.
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Evolutionary Criminology, 2016
In this chapter, we concentrate on Tinbergen’s fourth type of causal explanation: proximate mecha... more In this chapter, we concentrate on Tinbergen’s fourth type of causal explanation: proximate mechanisms operating at the time the offence occurs. In selecting the proximate mechanisms to discuss in this chapter, our intention is to focus on those that have been linked to the onset and reoccurrence of offending, and can be plausibly conceptualized as adaptations or by-products of adaptations. We first outline the concepts of dynamic risk factors, criminogenic needs, protective factors, and desistance processes. The ability of these concepts to function as explanations of crime is critically evaluated and their relationships to adaptations are explored. Second, the agency model of risk is systematically outlined and its grounding in biological and cultural processes is discussed. Third, we demonstrate how dynamic risk factors and protective factors once distributed across the components of human agency contribute to the occurrence of crime. Finally, we conclude the chapter with a discussion of some research implications of our model.
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Evolutionary Criminology, 2015
In this chapter we provide an overview of evolutionary approaches to crime prevention, punishment... more In this chapter we provide an overview of evolutionary approaches to crime prevention, punishment, and public policy. We begin by considering some important conceptual issues that arise in applying evolutionary criminology to the effective management of crime. We focus first on how an evolutionary approach can contribute to social and situational crime prevention efforts. Drawing from the material presented in Chapter 5 , we then consider what an evolutionary perspective has to offer in terms of understanding how we should punish offenders and what potential opportunities there are for restorative justice initiatives. We conclude this chapter by considering the wider public policy implications of an evolutionary approach to crime prevention. Preventing crime (and the harms caused by crime) is no straightforward task and an evolutionary perspective offers no magical solutions. However, armed with a conceptually richer account of why individuals offend, why we punish, and what accounts for variation in offending (and punishment), provides us with an opportunity to help guide the development of effective strategies for managing crime.
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Evolutionary Criminology, 2015
In this chapter we argue that understanding the evolution of altruism, cooperation, and punishmen... more In this chapter we argue that understanding the evolution of altruism, cooperation, and punishment can inform the foundational assumptions of many criminological theories, and has important implications for the understanding of punishment as it is administered in the criminal justice system. We are by nature normative animals and therefore predisposed to make normative judgments of many kinds, including moral ones centered on social coherence and conflict resolution. Like most other primates we are a highly social species that has “other-regarding” preferences, especially for kin and people who we interact with on a regular basis, but also for nonrelated individuals. Such other regarding preferences rely on an evolved collection of emotions and emotional processes including empathy, compassion, guilt, shame, and remorse that function to motivate prosocial, and prevent antisocial, behavior. Any attempt to understand why humans engage in antisocial and criminal behavior needs to take into account what is known about our social nature.
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Evolutionary Criminology, 2015
In this chapter, we address Tinbergen's third level of explanation: ontogeny or development. ... more In this chapter, we address Tinbergen's third level of explanation: ontogeny or development. We first outline the key explanatory targets for developmental criminology. We highlight here the importance of explaining the overall shape of the age–crime curve, individual differences in the rate and prevalence of offending, and the factors that lead to desistance from crime. We then turn to a review of criminological explanations for these key explanatory targets, highlighting the most prominent developmental theories or models of offending. We then consider how an evolutionary approach can contribute to our existing theoretical understanding of the developmental processes underlying criminal behavior. Drawing from life history theory we argue that a better understanding of the patterns of offending that are found can be obtained by considering both our species-specific life history trajectory and how individual differences may reflect alternate life history strategies in response to different environmental contexts.
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Legal and Criminological Psychology, 2011
In this paper, we argue that evolutionary behavioural science can be fruitfully applied to the ex... more In this paper, we argue that evolutionary behavioural science can be fruitfully applied to the explanation of criminal behaviour and subsequent interventions with offenders based on this understanding. First, we provide a brief overview of evolutionary theory and the three main approaches applied to the social and behavioural sciences, human behavioural ecology, evolutionary psychology, and gene‐culture co‐evolution theory. Second, we examine two examples of crimes that have been approached from an evolutionary standpoint, psychopathy, and rape. Third, we discuss four implications of adopting an evolutionary behavioural perspective for therapeutic and prevention work with offenders.
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Sexual deviance: Theory, assessment, and treatment, 1997
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
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Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2014
The issue of dual roles within forensic and correctional fields has typically been conceptualized... more The issue of dual roles within forensic and correctional fields has typically been conceptualized as dissonance—experienced by practitioners—when attempting to adhere to the conflicting ethical requirements associated with client well-being and community protection. In this article, we argue that the dual role problem should be conceptualized more broadly to incorporate the relationship between the offender and their victim. We also propose that restorative justice (RJ) is able to provide a preliminary ethical framework to deal with this common ethical oversight. Furthermore, we unite the RJ framework with that of Ward’s moral acquaintance model to provide a more powerful approach ( RJ-informed moral acquaintance) aimed at addressing the ethical challenges faced by practitioners within forensic and correctional roles.
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Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2014
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Aggressive Offenders' Cognition
Page 76. Chapter 3 COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS AS BELIEF, VALUE, AND ACTION JUDGMENTS TONY WARD AND KIR... more Page 76. Chapter 3 COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS AS BELIEF, VALUE, AND ACTION JUDGMENTS TONY WARD AND KIRSTEN KEOWN Victoria University of Wellington, NZ THERESA A. GANNON University of Kent, UK Sexual ...
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Forensic CBT, 2013
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Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities, 2014
Purpose – There is increasing interest in applying strength-based approaches to offender rehabili... more Purpose – There is increasing interest in applying strength-based approaches to offender rehabilitation. The purpose of this paper is to use the Good Lives Model (GLM) as an example to illustrate the fit that exists between strength-based approaches to offender rehabilitation and therapeutic communities. Design/methodology/approach – The authors briefly describe the GLM before discussing the key themes that link the two perspectives; the authors argue they naturally fit together in a number of areas. Findings – Both perspectives emphasise the importance of creating a safe and trusting therapeutic environment in which capacities (e.g. skills) can be developed that assist individuals to go on to live lives which are personally meaningful, and in which all their needs are met, enabling them to live offence free. Both also place importance on the role of personal responsibility. Originality/value – The authors conclude the GLM could usefully contribute to improving outcomes for those tr...
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International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2011
Research into the heterogeneity of female violent offending is sparse, even though females consti... more Research into the heterogeneity of female violent offending is sparse, even though females constitute a growing part of the prisoner population. There is evidence that the majority of female violent offenders display over-controlled traits related to uncharacteristic offending. This hypothesis was explored through a multivariate model, the Pathways Model of Assault, with interview data from 17 female assault offenders. Five different offence types were displayed, reflecting the same offence styles as male offenders. However, only two participants displayed an over-controlled offence type. Qualitative differences within the data suggested that offender rehabilitation should be tailored specifically for different gender needs in addition to the needs suggested by the different offence types.
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Papers by Tony Ward, MA (Hons), PhD, DipClinPsyc
KEYWORDS: Dynamic risk factors, explanation of crime, risk prediction