Transitional experiences of men with intellectual disabilities and offending histories who have resettled into the community from secure settings

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to better understand the transitional experiences of adult men with mild intellectual disabilities (ID) and histories of sexual/violent offending, as they resettle into the community from secure hospital settings. Design/methodology/approach This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the experiences of eight men with mild ID aged between 28 and 60 who, following confinement to secure hospitals under the Mental Health Act for sexual/violent offences, had been living back in the community under conditions of restriction for a minimum of six months and a maximum of 56 months. Two one-to-one semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with each participant. Findings Three superordinate themes emerged following IPA analysis: “A chance to ‘turn my story around’” (hopefulness about achieving freer community lives and a renewed identity), “Feeling ‘torn apart’” (interpreting numerous losses as abandonment) and “The cost of ‘trying to please others’” (satisfying imposed community restrictions led to a restricted identity). Research limitations/implications These findings suggest that the transitional experience is problematic. It highlights the need for more holistic and psychologically informed support to address the psychosocial needs of men with ID and forensic histories, to then help them achieve improved self-esteem, self-efficacy and meaningful participation during the transition towards community resettlement. Originality/value This paper gives a voice to a marginalised group whilst adding to the literature and addressing the limitations of earlier publications.