Offender Psychological Rehabilitation: Theoretical Foundations, Academic Controversies, and Development Trends

As an interdisciplinary field spanning criminology, criminal law, and psychology, offender psychological rehabilitation centers on deconstructing the psychological etiology of crime and explicating the logic of rehabilitative intervention. Taking individual psychological reconstruction as the entry point, it provides theoretical support for reducing recidivism and facilitating social reintegration. This paper systematically reviews the core theoretical foundations of the field, encompassing classical paradigms such as psychodynamic theory, cognitive-behavioral theory, social learning theory, and biopsychology, as well as integrative models including the modern biopsychosocial model and the Risk-Need-Responsivity model, with complementary perspectives from positive psychology and restorative justice. It further analyzes key academic controversies in theoretical development, including challenges of theoretical integration, debates over localization, tensions between law and ethics, and difficulties in empirical validation. Looking ahead, the field is expected to witness deeper interdisciplinary integration, the construction of indigenous theoretical frameworks, refinements in empirical research, and studies on the alignment of legal and ethical standards. The study concludes that offender psychological rehabilitation has developed into a diversified theoretical system; despite multiple challenges, collaborative innovation across disciplines will contribute to a more scientific, context-sensitive, and practice-oriented framework that supports social harmony and stability.