Criminals' anger management courses are to be ended in Britain

BBC News:

Anger management courses for criminals whose violent crimes are considered premeditated are to be ended, after an inquiry into a City banker's murder.

The Home Office called them "wholly inappropriate" for crimes such as armed robbery, stalking and domestic abuse.

It told the prisons and probation services the courses may help offenders twist the situation to their advantage.

Attending an anger management course helped John Monckton's killer gain early prison release, the report found.

Damien Hanson, 25, murdered Mr Monckton in November 2004, three months after being released from jail. He had been let out of jail halfway through a 12-year sentence for attempted murder.

In December, he was jailed for 36 years for Mr Monckton's murder and for the attempted murder of his wife at the couple's Chelsea home.

The official inquiry report said Hanson's attendance on 24 sessions of the CALM programme (Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it) helped convince a parole board review panel to release him.

Following the report it was decided a clinical assessment was needed into who might benefit from anger management courses.

A Home Office spokesman said: "Anger management programmes such as CALM are effective in helping those who engage in violence as a result of their anger.

"However, some violent offenders do not engage in violent behaviour because of anger.

"They use violence as a means to achieve a specific goal, for example to intimidate a victim during the course of a robbery or the imposition of will on a partner in instances of domestic violence."

He said other interventions and therapies addressed the "root cause of this instrumental violence" and may be more beneficial to such offenders.

The spokesman added: "Whilst some offenders display both types of violent behaviours, teaching anger-management skills without addressing instrumental violence can be counter-productive and will not reduce risk."

The Home Office guidance says those unsuitable for such courses include those whose violent offences were "committed purposefully rather than impulsively", in cases of pre-planning and involving "the abuse of power".

It says in such cases anger management interventions "have the potential to equip the offender with additional control mechanisms and increase his/her capacity to manipulate a situation to their advantage and power".

Anger management courses will continue in prisons, but the Home Office states they should only be available for offenders who launch unplanned attacks through losing their temper, including those whose behaviour is fuelled by drugs and alcohol.

These prisoners could include those who have been involved in fights or committed criminal damage or public disorder offences.

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