Professor Devon L L Polaschek

Joint Director (Interim), New Zealand Institute for Security and Crime Science; Professor, Psychology

Qualifications: DipClinPsych Canterbury, PhD Victoria

Personal Website: http://www.waikato.ac.nz/staff-profiles/people/polascde

About Devon

Devon Polaschek is a forensic clinical psychologist and professor of psychology, and of crime science.

Papers Taught

Research Interests

Theory, intervention, intervention evaluation with serious violent and sexual offenders, family violence perpetrators. I am currently interested in supervising PhDs in the areas of family violence perpetration, burglary, and psychopathy.

Recent publications

Polaschek, D. L. L. & Yesberg, J. A*. (in press). High-risk violent prisoners’ patterns of change on parole on the DRAOR’s dynamic risk and protective factors. Criminal Justice and Behavior. Accepted September 19, 2017.

Breetzke, G. D., & Polaschek, D. L. L. (in press). Moving Home: Examining the Independent Effects of Individual- And Neighborhood-Level Residential Mobility on Recidivism in High-Risk Parolees. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. Accepted September 2017.

Kroner, D.G., Polaschek, D. L. L., Serin, R. C., & Skeem, J. L. (in press) An exploration of the symmetry between crime-causing and crime-reducing factors: Implications for delivery of offender services. Psychological Services.

Dixon, L. & Polaschek, D. L. L. (in press). An evidenced approach to the assessment and treatment of intimate partner aggression. In J. Ireland (Ed.)., International Handbook on Aggression. Chichester: Wiley.

Polaschek, D. L. L. (in press). Prevention of recidivism in violent and aggressive offenders. In P. Sturmey (Ed.)., The Wiley Handbook of Violence and Aggression. Chichester: Wiley.

Polaschek, D. L. L. (in press). Reporting change. In S. Brown, E. Bowen, & D. Prescott (Eds.), The Forensic Psychologists’ Report Writing Guide. Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Routledge.

Polaschek, D. L. L., & Skeem, J. L. (in press). Treatment of psychopathy in adults and juveniles. In C. Patrick (Ed.), Handbook of psychopathy (2^nd ed.) New York: Guilford.

Polaschek. D. L. L. (in press). The offence and relapse process. In T. Ward & A. R. Beech (Eds.), Theories of sexual offending. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell (due 2016).

Polaschek, D. L. L., & Blackwood, K. M. (in press). Treating sex offenders in prison. In J. Wooldredge & P. Smith (Eds.), Oxford Handbook on Prisons and Imprisonment.

Polaschek, D. L. L. (in press). Corrections in New Zealand. In K. R. Kerley H. Copes, S. De Li, J. Lane, & S. F. Sharp (Eds)., The Encyclopedia of Corrections. NY: Wiley-Blackwell.

Polaschek, D. L. L. (in press). Violent offender programs. In K. R. Kerley H. Copes, S. De Li, J. Lane, & S. F. Sharp (Eds)., The Encyclopedia of Corrections. NY: Wiley-Blackwell.

Fortune, C.-A. & Polaschek, D. L. L. (in press). Therapeutic Communities. In K. R. Kerley H. Copes, S. De Li, J. Lane, & S. F. Sharp (Eds)., The Encyclopedia of Corrections.  NY: Wiley-Blackwell.

Yang, M., Guo, B., Olver, M., Polaschek, D. L. L., and Wong, S. (2017).  Assessing associations between changes in risk and subsequent re-offending: An introduction to relevant statistical models. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 44, 59-84.  DOI: 10.1177/0093854816678648

Polaschek, D. L. L. (2017). Protective factors, correctional treatment and desistance. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 32, 64-70.  doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2016.12.005

Polaschek, D. (2016). Responding to perpetrators of family violence. Auckland, New Zealand: New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse, University of Auckland.

Polaschek, D. L. L. (2016). Do relationships matter? Examining the quality of Probation Officers’ interactions with parolees in preventing recidivism. Corrections Practice Journal, 4(1) 5-9.

Bell, R. K .  & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2016). Do high-risk prisoners entering treatment have clinically impaired cognitive impulse control? Psychiatry, Psychology and Law. Published online 6 Dec 2016, DOI: 10.1080/13218719.2016.1256016

Tamatea, A. J., Lascelles, N., & Polaschek, D. L .L. (2016). Criminal Justice Psychology in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Issues for practitioners. In W. W. Waitoki, J. S. Feather, N. R. Robertson, & J. J. Rucklidge (Eds).,  Professional Practice of Psychology in Aotearoa/New Zealand 3^rd Ed. (pp. 463-476). Wellington, NZ: NZPsS.

Polaschek, D. L. L.(2016). Desistance and dynamic risk factors belong together. Psychology, Crime and Law,22, 171–189. DOI: 10.1080/1068316X.2015.1114114

Polaschek, D. L. L., Yesberg, J. A., Bell, R. K., Casey, A. R., & Dickson, S. R. (2016). Intensive psychological treatment of high-risk violent offenders: Outcomes and pre-release mechanisms. Psychology, Crime and Law, 22, 344-365. Doi: 10.1080/1068316X.2015.1109088

Yesberg, J. A . Polaschek, D. L. L.  (2015). Assessing dynamic risk and protective factors in the community: Examining the validity of the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry (DRAOR) with high-risk parolees. Psychology Crime and Law, 21, 80-99. DOI:10.1080/1068316X.2014.935775 .

Polaschek, D. L. L., & Yesberg, J. A. (2015). Desistance in high-risk prisoners: Pre-release self-reported desistance commitment and perceptions of change predict 12-month survival. Practice: The New Zealand Corrections Journal, 3(1), 24-29.

Polaschek, D. L. L. (2015). Treating the seriously violent: The New Zealand experience. In A. Day & E. Fernandez (Eds.), Violence in Australia: Perspectives, policy and solutions, (pp. 137-152). Annandale, NSW, Australia:Federation Press.

Dickson, S. R ., & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2015). The role of release planning in the reintegration experiences of high-risk offenders. Practice: The New Zealand Corrections Journal, 3(1), 18-23.

Yesberg, J. A ., Scanlan, J. M ., Hanby, L., Serin, R. C., & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2015). Predicting women’s recidivism: Validating a dynamic community-based “gender-neutral” tool. Probation Journal, 62, 33-48. DOI 10.1177/0264550514562851

Polaschek, D. L. L. (2015). (Mis)understanding psychopathy: Consequences for policy and practice with offenders. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 22, 500-519.DOI: 10.1080/13218719.2014.960033. Published online 3 Feb 2015.

Fortune, C., Ward, T., & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2014). The Good Lives Model and therapeutic environments in forensic settings. Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities, 35(3), 95-104. DOI: 10.1108/TC-02-2014-0006

Polaschek, D. L. L. (2014). Adult criminals with psychopathy: Common beliefs about treatability and change have little empirical support. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 296-301. DOI: 10.1177/0963721414535211

Yesberg, J. A.,  & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2014). Using information from the Violence Risk Scale to understand different patterns of treatment response: Implications for the management of intensively treated life-sentenced prisoners. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29, 2991-3013. DOI: 10.1177/0886260514527824

Yesberg, J. A.,  Scanlan, J. M.,  & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2014). Women on parole: Do they need their own DRAOR? Practice: The New Zealand Corrections Journal, 2 (1), pp??

Yesberg, J. A ., & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2014). What can the DRAOR tell us about high-risk offenders? A preliminary examination. Practice: The New Zealand Corrections Journal, 2 (1),

Dickson, S. R.,   & Polaschek, D. L. L. (2014). Planning to avoid risk or planning for a positive life: The relationship between release plan valence and reoffending. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 58, 1431-1448. Doi:10.1177/0306624X13503813

Polaschek, D. L. L. (2013). Early development and youth offending: Practical implications for intervention with, and reintegration of young prisoners. Practice: The New Zealand Corrections Journal, 1(2), 5-9.

Polaschek, D. L. L., (2013). Introduction to the special issue on psychological treatment of high-risk offenders. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18, 570. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2013.06.001

Polaschek, D. L. L. & Daly, T.  (2013). Treatment and psychopathy in forensic settings. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18, 592-603. DoI: 10.1016/j.avb.2013.06.003

Polaschek, D. L. L. (2013). How to train your dragon: Introduction to the special issue on treatment programmes for high risk offenders. Psychology, Crime and Law, 19, 409-414. doi: 10.1080/1068316X.2013.758963

Polaschek, D. L. L., & Kilgour, T. G. (2013). New Zealand’s Special Treatment Units: The development and implementation of intensive treatment for high-risk male prisoners. Psychology, Crime and Law, 19, 511-526. doi: 10.1080/1068316X.2013.759004

Wilson, N. J., Kilgour, T. G., & Polaschek, D. L. L., (2013). Treating high risk rapists in a New Zealand intensive prison programme. Psychology, Crime, and Law, 19, 527-547. doi: 10.1080/1068316X.2013.759007

Dickson, S. R.,  Polaschek, D. L. L., & Casey, A. R.  (2013). Can the quality of high-risk violent prisoners’ release plans predict recidivism following intensive rehabilitation? A comparison with risk assessment instruments.  Psychology, Crime and Law, 19, 371-389. DOI:  10.1080/1068316X.2011.640634 published on line 2 February 2012

Polaschek, D. L. L., & Cortoni, F. (2013). Le traitement des délinquants violents. In Cusson, M., Guay, S., Proulx, J., & Cortoni, F. (Eds.), Traités des violences criminelles, (pp. 837-861). Montreal, QC, Canada, Édition Hurtubise.

Keywords

Psychology

criminal behaviour violent offending imprisonment parole sexual offending offender rehabilitation offender reintegration family violence perpetrators what works with offenders

Contact Details