Double Jeopardy: Adolescent Offenders with Mental Disorders

developmental neuropsychiatric teams,

paediatric neurologists and neuropsy-

chologists, educational psychologists

and community paediatricians with

interest in neurodevelopment.

Marinos Kyriakopoulos

Great Ormond Street Hospital for

Children, London

Attachment Theory in ClinicalWork with Children: Bridgingthe Gap between Research andPracticeD. Oppenheim and D.F. Goldsmith(Eds.)New York: Guilford Press, 2007. pp.

256. £ 21.95 (pb). ISBN: 978-159385-

448-5.

This is a clinical book covering assess-

ments and interventions with mother-

infant (or young child) dyadic problems.

The chapters have an array of well-

known and well-established academics

and clinicians, among them Oppen-

heim, Zeanah, Steele, Hodges, Lieber-

man and Goldsmith. It is an important

book despite its limitations.

The first section is titled �Clinical Use

of Attachment Research Assessments�and the second �Attachment Theory and

Psychotherapy�. The first chapter

(C. Zeanah) acts as an introduction to

many of the ideas that follow, with a

case vignette detailing the interchange

between the clinician and a mother.

This book does not define its terms

and this lack of clarity led me to be

unconvinced that this is a book about

attachment rather than about carer-

child relationships and how to improve

their quality. The term attachment is

used loosely and often incorrectly.

There is the common mistake of using

the term attachment as though it is an

overall descriptor of the relationship

between the parent and child.

There are, however, some immensely

attractive ideas in this book e.g. the

Circle of Security Project. This has a

focus of the parent�s internal represen-

tation of the child directly in relation

to the child�s need for a secure base.

The therapeutic dyadic work promotes

offering appropriate security to young

children through encouraging sup-

ported exploration, supportive supervi-

sion, welcoming approaches by the

child and positive regard throughout.

There is a chapter on maternal insight-

fulness and how this can be assessed

and enhanced. There are ideas on

supporting foster carers and adoptive

parents and the central importance of

commitment. The therapeutic work

involves identifying attachment, facili-

tative behaviours in carers and increas-

ing their understanding and sensitivity

of their charges� inner worlds and

needs. The chapter on parental re-

sponses to a disturbing diagnosis in

their child lays out some initial research

on assessing families in such situations

and how the ability to suspend the

search for reasons and the degree of

resolution of the parents� reaction relate

to the child�s functioning. The chapter

�Child Parent Psychotherapy� addressesthe impact of trauma where there are

already attachment problems.

I recommend this book as a stimulat-

ing one and of interest to anyone

involved in facilitating good enough

parenting, working in the field of psy-

chotherapy, with under-5s or working

with foster carers and adopters. This is

a useful book provoking much thought,

resonating with one�s own knowledge

and experience and opening up ideas

about how theory can be transferred to

treatment approaches. Clinicians, not

to say politicians, urgently need effec-

tive early interventions for parent-child

relationship problems.

Claire Sturge

Northwick Park Hospital. Harrow

Double Jeopardy: AdolescentOffenders with Mental DisordersThomas GrissoChicago: University of Chicago Press,

2006. pp. 252. £15.00 (pb). ISBN-10:

022-630929-0.

InDouble jeopardy, Grisso continues his

pioneering work across clinical practice,

policy and legislative frameworks, and

examines the challenges facing young

offenders and professionals working

with them. This is a valuable addition

to a series of studies on adolescent

development and legal policy, supported

through the MacArthur Foundation

Research Network.

On this occasion, Grisso achieves a

unique integration and synthesis of

knowledge that goes to the heart of our

obligations to identify and respond to

adolescent offenders� mental disorders;

he examines the state of knowledge

about their mental disorders and con-

sequences for professionals throughout

the world who are still grappling with

how to meet the mental health needs of

offenders. He charts a rational course

for the juvenile justice system�sresponse to the mental health needs of

those who are in its custody. In doing

so, he goes beyond the polarised views

of young offenders as in need and

vulnerable, and the simultaneous view

of new young offenders as the main

cause of the ills of today�s society.

The book is divided into two main

parts: Part 1 – Examining Realities, and

Part 11, Discovering the Obligations. In

the first section, Grisso suggests that,

despite the best endeavours of many

mental health professionals working in

this field in the UK, other multi-agency

professionals, and indeed it feels gov-

ernment itself, he sees as the only

solution to reducing �difficult� behaviourin children and adolescents a magic

labelling of them as mentally disor-

dered, with a quick fix mental health

intervention as a solution. For this

reason alone, this text should be man-

datory reading for all professionals

working with children at risk of offend-

ing, or in the Youth Justice System. The

book gives a clear, logical, understand-

able insight into definitions of mental

disorders in adolescents, assessment of

disorders, and consequences of these

disorders.

In Part 11, in his emphasis on refining

the custodial obligation to provide treat-

ment for young offenders, Grisso is able

to set this in a developmental context

that sets apart the clear obligation to

deal with juveniles outside the �justdesserts� model of criminal justice that

dominates adult justice systems. At the

same time, he keeps the balance of

fulfilling the public safety obligation,

however young the individual. It is

inevitable that Part II centres on the

extant criminal justice system in North

America; however, the underlying argu-

ments, principles and solutions are also

applicable in the UK and across Europe.

Those of us working in the UK continue

to care a great deal and learn from the

continuing work of Thomas Grisso.

Double jeopardy is a �must read�across the range of professionals

charged with working with young

offenders, in whatever capacity.

Together we have to deal with the

three-fold obligations of the juvenile

justice system, as a custodian of chil-

dren with health needs, a legal system

providing fairness in youth adjudica-

tion, and as protectors of public safety.

Sue Bailey

Adolescent Forensic Service,

Manchester

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