Purpose Organizational culture explains shared norms, values and beliefs that shape the overall working of an organization. The concept of organizational culture is an underexplored phenomenon among prison officials. Thus, this scoping review aims to systematically map existing literature to understand how prison scholarship has studied and conceptualized prison organizational culture (POC). Design/methodology/approach The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines was followed for searching relevant literature across databases. A total of 20 studies published between 2011 and 2023 were qualified on the inclusion criteria. Findings Thematic analysis identified six interrelated dimensions that extend the understanding of POC: collective occupational identity, group cohesiveness, leadership and communication, emotional expression, staff–prisoner relationships and perceived risk and organizational support. Practical implications The findings highlight that understanding of POC can help in more effective, ethical and humane working of prison and institutional reforms. Originality/value The review opens a discussion in the area of working of closed institution like prison.
Purpose Before witnesses to a crime identify a suspect from a lineup, law enforcement routinely requires witnesses to provide a facial description or facial composite of the suspect. However, research suggests that witnesses who engage in facial recall of suspects could have impaired subsequent recognition performance of that suspect. This study aims to compare facial description and facial configuration tasks and examine whether these procedures influenced memory strength and response criterion during recognition. In a verbal facial description task, witnesses describe the facial features of a suspect. In a visual facial configuration task, witnesses choose individual facial features that resemble the suspect from arrays of feature alternatives. Design/methodology/approach Participants in the study witnessed a surveillance video depicting a burglary. Next, participants either provided a description of the suspect’s face, being prompted to describe the facial features, or engaged in a facial configuration task of the suspect’s face, selecting the facial features that best resembled the suspect from arrays of other facial feature options. Participants in a no-recall control condition did not recall the suspect. Last, participants attempted to identify the suspect from either a target present or target absent showup recognition task. Findings Results showed no evidence of reduced memory strength. However, participants in both facial recall conditions adopted more conservative response criteria than those in the control condition, particularly participants in the facial configuration condition. Practical implications Findings have important theoretical implications for theory development regarding how witness facial recall of suspects impacts recognition performance and applied implications for eyewitness investigative procedures. Originality/value Verbal overshadowing research has examined the effects of facial recall on recognition for 30+ years; however, few studies have directly compared verbal facial descriptions with visual facial configuration procedures within the same paradigm.
Purpose This paper aims to review evidence that legal proceedings can further harm child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors, and set out the practice, training and policy response. Design/methodology/approach Narrative review of three bodies of evidence: longitudinal studies of child witnesses; research on trauma and memory; and studies of how protective legal practices are used. Adult trauma research supplements thin child-specific evidence. Findings Children who testify repeatedly, often facing the defendant unsupported, show long-lasting distress, behavioural problems and changes in brain regions controlling memory, fear and language. Protective measures – pre-trial preparation, multidisciplinary centres, pre-recorded cross-examination, CCTV, intermediaries and support workers – reduce harm but are unevenly applied. Research limitations/implications Narrative rather than systematic review; search was not pre-registered and included only English-language sources. Long-term outcome evidence relies heavily on two related US cohorts, and some trauma andmemory evidence draws on single-event accidental trauma, not CSA. Research priorities: CSA-specific replication and the institutional factors behind persistent under-use of existing protections. Practical implications Five priorities: use a structured forensic interview protocol; apply special measures without gatekeeping; guarantee courtroom support; mandate trauma-informed training for judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers; and use forensic mental health expertise explicitly. Social implications Legal protections exist on paper but are applied inconsistently. Child survivors face a “postcode lottery” in which access to justice depends on local discretion rather than enforceable rights. Originality/value Integrates long-term outcome data, trauma neurobiology and implementation research in a practice-focused account for forensic work.
Purpose Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) is an established trauma therapy with potential relevance for criminal justice settings (CJS), where trauma exposure is highly prevalent. This study aims to map the current evidence base for EMDR with criminal justice-involved populations, with particular attention to trauma-related outcomes and the feasibility of delivery in these contexts. Design/methodology/approach Seven electronic databases were searched from inception to November 2024, with an updated search conducted in November 2025, identifying one additional eligible study. One further study was identified through contact with the author of an included study. Studies were eligible if they reported the use of EMDR as an intervention with criminal justice-involved populations. Included studies were charted by setting, population, study design, outcomes and key findings. Findings Twelve studies were identified: five quantitative, two qualitative and five case studies covering prison, youth residential, probation/parole and community forensic settings. Six of the seven empirical studies reported broadly positive findings, including reductions in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, behavioural problems and deviant arousal and improved treatment engagement. However, the evidence base was small, methodologically varied and limited in scope. Several studies noted that the custodial environment affected delivery, with limited privacy, disrupted session continuity and reduced psychological safety. Preparation and stabilisation before trauma processing was a recurring consideration. Practical implications Practitioners should ensure adequate stabilisation prior to trauma processing, plan for session continuity disruptions and avoid overstating EMDR’s impact on reoffending risk. Psychiatric complexity, including comorbid psychosis, substance use and neurodevelopmental presentations, require careful formulation and potential protocol adaptation before commencing EMDR in CJS. While the existing evidence is broadly encouraging, it does not yet support claims about EMDR’s effectiveness across the full range of CJS populations. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first scoping review to map the evidence base for EMDR with justice-involved individuals. Prior work has reviewed trauma-focused interventions in prisons (Malik et al., 2023), a recent editorial outlined the need for research into EMDR in CJS contexts (Crole-Rees et al., 2025) and a systematic review of EMDR for PTSD in forensic settings has been reported in conference abstract form (Prasad et al., 2025). However, no full peer-reviewed review has synthesised the available empirical and qualitative evidence across this whole population. This review addresses that gap and provides a foundation for future research prioritisation and practice development.
Purpose This study aims to investigate relationship between adverse life events and delinquent behavior among out-of-school children. This study also aimed at explaining the mediating role of callous-unemotional traits between adverse life events and delinquent behavior among out-of-school children. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected on Self-Report Delinquency Scale, Adverse Life Events Scale and Inventory of Callous Unemotional Traits. Sample comprised of 350 out-of-school children from Rawalpindi and Islamabad age ranging from 10 to 17 years with mean (M = 15.5 years) and standard deviation (SD = 0.73 years). Structural validity of instruments was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis and reliability was estimated with Cronbach’s alpha. All three scales showed good structural validity and reliability indices. Findings The Pearson correlational analysis revealed that when children exposed to adverse life events it will increase callous-unemotional traits and delinquent behavior. The mediation analysis was carried out by using structural equation modeling in Amos. The latent variable adverse life event appears to have a significant positive indirect association with delinquent behaviors through callous-unemotional traits. It is concluded that adverse life events are associated with delinquent behaviors both directly and indirectly through callous-unemotional traits. Research limitations/implications This study uses a cross-sectional design, which limits the ability to draw causal inferences. Longitudinal research is needed to address this limitation and better capture the developmental progression of delinquency. Practical implications This research underscores the importance of integrating psychological support with educational and vocational initiatives to address delinquency and its psychosocial roots. Programs focusing on mental health services, life skills training and peer mentoring can help mitigate the adverse effects of life events and reduce the likelihood of delinquent behaviors. Originality/value This study addresses a gap by examining how adverse life events relate to delinquent behavior among out-of-school adolescents, an underresearched high-risk group. It adds value by identifying callous-unemotional traits as a key mediating mechanism with implications for targeted interventions.
