A study reflecting the perceived effect of body movement on female offenders from the perspective of helping professionals

Abstract

This study adopted a qualitative approach to explore whether Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) would be an effective therapeutic intervention with female offenders within the Maltese context from the perspective of professionals. A sample of 8 individuals with different occupations and levels of experience in the field participated in a semi-structured interview. These participants were recruited from Corradino Correctional Facility (CCF), Department of Probation and Parole (DPP), Fondazzjoni Caritas Malta and the Malta Chamber of Psychologists (MCP) through purposive and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis provided three broad themes: “Therapies and interventions with female offenders in Malta”, “The perceived effectiveness of DMT” and “The perceived limitations of DMT”. This study concluded that DMT can provide several benefits for female offenders; however, given the circumstances of the Maltese population, the effectiveness and possibility of implementing this alternative therapy is debatable. DMT is viewed as being most effective if implemented alongside other therapies.