Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) treatment and (b) accredited behavioural interventions are available to individuals convicted of (i) stalking and (ii) exhibiting fixated behaviour in (A) custody and (B) while under supervision in the community.

Stalking is a crime characterised by a range of types of behaviour, with complex and varying motivations. No single intervention should be considered a ‘solution’ to stalking behaviour. The interventions appropriate to address the offending behaviour of each individual are determined by professional assessment of their risks and rehabilitative needs.

“Building Choices” is an accredited offending behaviour programme designed for adult (18+) men and women in custody and on probation. It is designed to address the dynamic risk factors associated with offending behaviour rather than targeting specific offence types or behaviours and is based on the principle that people offend for a variety of reasons, with effective rehabilitation therefore requiring intervention to target risk factors predictive of future risk of re-offending.

Building Choices is not built around specific types of behaviour, but by the risk factors relevant to each individual. These include:

• cognitive factors, including rigid thinking patterns and pro-criminal or offence-supportive attitudes

• self-management factors, including emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, poor coping strategies and problem-solving difficulties

• relationship factors, including difficulties with interpersonal and intimacy skills, and association with pro-criminal peers

• additional dynamic risk factors relating to low-level offence-related sexual interests and sexual pre-occupation, where relevant.

In addition to accredited interventions, H M Prison and Probation regions can commission non-accredited rehabilitative interventions to address specific needs. These interventions target changes in attitudes, thinking patterns, emotional regulation, and behaviour where there is an assessed need to do so. Such interventions are typically focused on addressing the underlying drivers of offending behaviour and are not usually specific to offence types.

In a small number of cases, where assessment indicates a continuing and significant risk of stalking-related harm, and where established intervention pathways are not considered suitable or have been exhausted, psychology services may provide individually tailored, formulation-driven consultation and intervention. Such work is typically focused on understanding and managing the specific drivers of stalking or fixated behaviour, reducing risk, and supporting multi-agency risk management arrangements.