A mixed-methods systematic review of offence-related shame and/or guilt in violent offenders

Violent crime may impact the perpetrator in many ways, such as experiencing the negative emotions of shame and/or guilt. These emotions may subsequently play a role in adjusting to life after the crime has taken place, which is an area that has been relatively under-researched. The review aimed to identify and synthesise all available literature on the experience of offence-related shame and/or guilt in violent offenders, and to describe and characterise the methodological standard of research evidence whilst suggesting areas for further research. A systematic review of relevant databases was conducted using predefined search terms related to ‘shame’ and/or ‘guilt’ and ‘violent offenders’. A mixed methods systematic review of sample characteristics, methodologies and measures was conducted to describe and compare findings across quantitative and qualitative studies. The review yielded nine papers. Offence-related shame and/or guilt was prevalent among violent populations. Results highlight the complexity and importance of the two emotions for offender rehabilitation. The findings support the need for further investigation to improve the methodological rigor within this area, such as the use of, and development of validated measures of offence-related shame and/or guilt to encourage a more reformed understanding of offence-related shame and/or guilt, for violent offenders. The review considers several implications for research and practice. • Shame and/or guilt are complex emotions and hold important insights into offender rehabilitation. • Approaches should focus on enhancing adaptive guilt, whilst reducing maladaptive shame. • Future research should aim to improve the methodological rigor when exploring shame and/or guilt as offence-related emotions.