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The collection of papers in this ebook, come from a range of international authors who have gathered information on some of the most interesting current developments in the evolution of the therapeutic community or the enabling environment in forensic settings. The Guest Editors are encouraged by the multi-disciplinary and integrative approaches adopted by all of these papers, and hope this shows as a good sign that we are entering a fertile period for the recognition and evolution of TC-based approaches

As a result of the growing number of ethnic and cultural minority clients in substance‐abuse treatment during the last decades, a culturally responsive approach has become more and more imperative. In this article the statements (n = 1330) of professionals (n = 11) and clients (n = 11) representing the substance‐abuse treatment centres in the region of Ghent and its suburbs (Belgium) are analysed. In focus are the specific treatment needs of ethnically and culturally diverse substance‐abusing clients and the difficulties consequent to treating this target group. Possible approaches to overcoming these difficulties are highlighted and elaborated by means of semi‐structured interviews and focus groups. The participants in the study stress the importance of an integrated approach, with special attention given to the factors that can promote or jeopardise treatment.

Despite the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the interest in developing a theoretical grounding for children's rights education seems to be rather limited. This article argues for a better understanding of children's rights education as a distinctive practice in social work. Two different conceptions of children's rights education are identified: as an implementation strategy and as social action. Their relevance to both social work theory and practice are examined.

Vor dem Hintergrund einer Erläuterung der Rechtsgrundlage von Kinderrechten zeigen die Verfasser, dass diese noch keinen festen Platz in der Sozialarbeit gefunden hat. Sie argumentieren, dass die Bekanntmachung mit den Kinderrechten zu einem Bestandteil der Qualifizierung aller Akteure und Institutionen werden muss, die mit Kindern zu tun haben. Die These, dass das Wissen über Kinderrechte die Sozialisation von Kindern und Jugendlichen prägen soll, bedeutet die Schaffung eines normativen Rahmens der relevanten Aktivitäten. Das Konzept der "Pädagogisierung" der Arbeit mit Kindern hebt die Institutionalisierung der Kindheit und des Interesses der Gesellschaft hervor. Es stellt eine Garantie dafür dar, dass die Kinderrechte in allen Bereichen der Gesellschaft respektiert werden. Es handelt sich um ein Muster des Umgangs mit Kindern und Jugendlichen, das ein Bestandteil der demokratischen Gesellschaft und ein Aufgabengebiet der Sozialarbeit ist. (ICB)

Background: The correction-based therapeutic community (TC) is one of the most described treatment modalities for (substance abusing) incarcerated offenders. The origins and development of the therapeutic community have been traced back to two independent traditions: the American hierarchical conceptbased TC and the British democratic Maxwell Jones-type TC. Both branches have developed independently, targeting different people and tackling diverse problems. Aims: To demonstrate that there are clear and undeniable similarities between the 'two' prison-based therapeutic communities. Method: A comparative historical review of the literature and a critical discussion and comparison. Results: The links between the democratic and hierarchical therapeutic communities are summarised under five headings: social learning and behavioural modification; permissiveness and modelling; democracy and hierarchy; communalism and community as method; reality testing and 'acting as if '. Conclusions: The 'two' correction-based therapeutic communities are on converging pathways. Far from being oppositional models, they can be regarded as being complementary.

AbstractBackgroundRecovery is a widely accepted paradigm in mental health care, whilst the correctional and forensic–psychiatric field is still searching for foundations for its implementation. Knowledge regarding recovery of persons with intellectual disabilities in secure contexts is limited. This study assesses recovery needs and resources among persons with intellectual disabilities labelled not criminally responsible and investigates the impact of the judicial label on recovery processes.MethodsA sample of 26 individuals was composed purposively, and in‐depth interviews were conducted. Recurrent themes were identified using thematic analysis.ResultsTraditional recovery themes emerged from the narratives, next to aspects of recovery in a forensic or correctional context. However, the operationalization and proportional impact are specific for this sample.ConclusionsThe social dimension overarches all other recovery dimensions. The integration of an explicit social rhetoric is imperative, including contextual, relational, interactional and societal dimensions. This offers pathways to reverse the traditional, paternalistic model of exclusion and classification.

AIM: The aim of this article was to study governance of drug use in Norway through a historical account. METHOD: A genealogy was conducted through the study of documentation and legal texts from the 1600s until contemporary times. FINDINGS: Based on legal texts addressing people using substances (both drugs and alcohol) various strategies for governance of drug use appears. The first section describes the emergence of institutions where people with alcohol problems were confined in a system originating the Dutch discipline houses. The second section describes the poor laws of the 1800s and the practice of the local poorhouses. The third section takes a look at the Vagrancy Act of 1900 and the state-owned labour camp at Opstad. The fourth section discusses the establishment of the sobriety boards and their role in confining alcoholics at cure homes. The fifth section describes developments in post-world-war Norway, with increased attention to illicit substances. CONCLUSIONS: The terminology justifying interventions is increasingly medicalised. Descriptions of the "drunkard" that appeared in 18th-century legal texts as immoral and free are contrasted by a positioning of this character as being a slave to his drinking in 20th-century political discourses, or as substance-dependent patients in the 21st century, alongside concerted efforts to dissolve open drug scenes.

<i>Aims:</i> It is the goal of this study to investigate the first development of the drug-free therapeutic community (TC) in Europe. The paper aims at systemizing information, scattered all over Europe and is the first stage in an ongoing study to record the development of the European TC movement and its influences. <i>Design:</i> After a study of the grey (hidden) literature, TC pioneers and experts per country were contacted to further elaborate the first findings. Subsequently, a preliminary summary of our findings was published in the Newsletter of the European Federation of Therapeutic Communities (EFTC), inviting additional information and corrections. The authors completed the results for this article with relevant first-hand information, obtained through interviews with European pioneers. <i>Findings:</i> The findings are summarized under three topics: chronology, interconnections and European identity. It was found that from 1968 until 1989, a new therapeutic approach arose all over Europe, modeled after Synanon, Daytop and Phoenix House, New York, through Phoenix House, London and Emiliehoeve in the Netherlands. Therapeutic communities were established in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland as well. These communities were closely-knit and interconnected in their reaction against psychiatric and methadone treatment. The European TCs developed an own identity compared to the American ones. <i>Conclusions:</i> The European TCs adapted the model of their American predecessors to their own culture, influenced more by milieu-therapy and social learning. Instead of harsh behaviorism, more emphasis was placed on dialogue and understanding. Professionals occupied a more pivotal role and took over the dominant position of ex-addicts. Research, executed by TC professionals gradually entered the TC. A generic network of TC connections, through which the development evolved, was uncovered, and clear regional trends can be observed.

Challenges in setting up and conducting interviews with non-Belgian prisoners
In 2018, 44.6% of the prison population in Belgium consisted of prisoners with a non-Belgian nationality (n = 4.601). Despite their overrepresentation, little is known about this group of prisoners, because they are often excluded from research. Therefore, the FIP2 project (Foreigners' Involvement and Participation in Prison) was initiated and focuses on non-Belgian prisoners and their formal and informal participation in prison life. Fifty-one interviews with non-Belgian prisoners were conducted in four prisons. During these interviews, we experienced several challenges, which included various difficulties. In this article, we describe, analyze and reflect on the most important challenges in setting up and conducting interviews with non-Belgian prisoners: (1) how we can reach non-Belgian prisoners; (2) interviewing in a foreign language for the researcher/respondent; (3) the presence of an interpreter in individual interviews; (4) the use of Appreciative Inquiry in a less appreciative context; (5) objective researchers versus emotionally jarring conversations; and (6) 'white' female researchers and male non-Belgian prisoners. We do not have miracle solutions about how to deal with these challenges. Nevertheless, we do have some recommendations that we would like to give to other researchers and professionals about engaging in interviews or conversations with this 'forgotten' group of prisoners.

AbstractIn residential youth care, a positive living group climate is one of the main pillars for having a child grow up and develop optimally. Despite its importance, the development of a positive living group climate seems to be "under pressure," due to recent evolutions in residential youth care all over the world. This article describes what could be learned from a project focused on monitoring the living group climate in a residential youth care service in Flanders, Belgium. The objectives were (a) to investigate the implications of this project specifically aimed at improving the living group climate, and (b) to discuss the opportunities and challenges of this process, in relation to the particular service and staff, and residential youth care in general.The outcomes indicate that group workers perceive the monitoring process as a constructive tool for discussing outcomes in establishing a positive living climate. Furthermore, the findings show that the living group climate is perceived as a complex context, with many interactions that are difficult to measure or capture—therefore, discussion about the outcomes is an essential part of improvement processes. This study provides insight into the key factors and tensions in the development of a positive living group climate.

Dat een participatieve benadering steeds meer aandacht krijgt en als een belangrijke meerwaarde beschouwd wordt in (jeugd)onderzoek is op andere plaatsen reeds uitvoerig uitgewerkt. Het begrip 'participatief jeugdonderzoek' overkoepelt heel uiteenlopende onderzoeksbenaderingen met als gemeenschappelijk kenmerk dat jeugdonderzoek in de eerste plaats gezien wordt als onderzoek met kinderen in plaats van over kinderen.