Abstract
In this article we describe a new method, the Virtual Enactment Method (VEM), to enhance offender recall and motivation to disclose information by having burglars reflect on their experience while committing a crime in a simulated virtual environment. Participants, a sample of 61 incarcerated burglars, ‘thought aloud’ whilst undertaking a virtual burglary. Following the ‘virtual’ burglary, emerging themes were expanded upon in an interview. We show that the simulated environment effectively reinstates the criminogenic event, increases engagement, enhances recall, and encourages participants to talk more openly about their experiences, skills and knowledge.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 437-460 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | Deviant Behavior |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 11 Jan 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2018 |
Funding
The authors would like to acknowledge the Amsterdam Law and Behavior Institute (A-LAB), the Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth and the British Academy for funding this project. We would also like to thank the National Offender Management Service and governors of various prisons for allowing access to our prisoner participants. We would like to thank Josh Cole, Kayleigh Cooper and Jennifer Evans for assisting in data collection, all of our participants and the staff in prisons who went above and beyond the call of duty to assist us during a very difficult time in the UK prison service.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| A-LAB | |
| University of Portsmouth | |
| British Academy |
