Practice Frameworks In Correctional Psychology: Translating Causal Theories And Normative Assumptions Into Practice

Practice frameworks are a unique type of theory that bridges the gap between abstract explanatory theories, normative assumptions, and treatment theories. In the forensic and correctional fields, practice frameworks are not intended to replace treatment or explanatory theories, they offer something unique. They offer program designers a tool for constructing and delivering a range of interventions to individuals who have committed crimes and constitute an epistemic hub of a kind into which relevant features of explanatory and treatment theories can be "plugged" into. In this paper, we first describe practice theories in detail, outlining their three level structure and suggest how best to evaluate them. Next, we provide two examples of practice frameworks, restorative justice and the good lives model. Finally, we discuss some of the major research and clinical implications of our analysis of this new type of theory.