The Offender Personality Disorder Pathway for men:Staff perceptions about possible impact on re-offending in high-risk individuals with personality disorder

The Offender Personality Disorder Pathway was introduced in England and Wales in 2012 to manage high risk offenders with personality disorder. One of the key outcomes of the Pathway is to reduce re-offending. A national mixed methods evaluation was undertaken, and this paper presents findings from the qualitative interviews focusing on staff’s perceptions of the Pathway’s ability to impact on re-offending in this population. Interviews were carried out with 38 staff and analysed using a framework analysis. Staff reported that the Pathway improved their understanding of individuals and what drives their offending; developed their confidence to manage this population; and enhanced inter-agency communication. They were less convinced of any direct impact on re-offending. Early indicators of the Pathway show it has value in improving engagement, risk management, staff skills and inter-agency working. Whether this is enough to reduce re-offending will take time to establish.