Changing Offending Behaviour: A Handbook of Practical Exercises and Photocopiable Resources for Promoting Change Clark Baim and Lydia Guthrie · Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2014

A genuinely useful handbook for anyone doing direct work with adults in the criminal justice system..

The book is split in two. Part one covers the theory you would expect to see in this kind of work: CBT, attachment theory, motivational interviewing, the cycle of change, social learning theory, and relationally based approaches. Part two is where it earns its place on the desk. You get exercises and session plans you can actually photocopy and use, designed to build self-understanding, empathy, and the ability to step back and look at patterns of behaviour.

The author backgrounds matter here. Baim comes from a psychodrama tradition and founded Geese Theatre UK. Guthrie is a former probation officer and senior probation officer who now works independently in the field. That mix shows in the writing. The exercises feel like they have been built by people who have actually run them in real rooms with real clients, not theorised about running them from a distance. There is a difference, and practitioners spot it quickly.

What works particularly well is the way the theory and the exercises talk to each other. You are not handed a worksheet with no context, and you are not given pages of theory with no idea how to use it. The link between why something matters and how you might try it in a session is clear throughout.

It is not perfect. If you have been around this kind of work for a while, some of the exercises will feel familiar, and a few may already be in your usual rotation. The photocopiable format also feels a little dated now that most teams are working with digital tools and shared drives. But these are minor points against what is otherwise a solid reference.

Who it is for: probation staff, OOCR practitioners, programme facilitators, counsellors, and anyone running structured intervention work with adults aged 16 and over. It is especially useful for people who are newer to the work, or who are training others and want a dependable shared resource to draw from.

Why it is on the reading list: it bridges theory and practice without being preachy about either. That balance is harder to pull off than it looks, and Baim and Guthrie manage it well.

A handbook that quietly proves its worth the more you actually use it.

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