This second film in the set integrates the narratives of violent individuals participating in two innovative treatment programs with interviews with therapists and experts in the field of violence. The result is an illuminating window into what can be accomplished when intervening with men whose crimes were based on reactive and/or predatory violence. Viewers are provided with a rare opportunity to look in on actual group sessions in two therapeutic settings. The first group we see takes place in a program that originated in the San Francisco City Jail, the Resolve to Stop the Violence Project (RSVP) that uses a cognitive-behavioral educational approach and is facilitated by Hamish Sinclair.
The second group takes place in Grendon Therapeutic Prison near Oxford UK, that uses a psychodynamic/attachment approach and is facilitated by therapist David Jones. Victim Impact Programs several other interventions, including a Victim Impact Program, reported positive outcomes. Following the group filming, the individual men describe elements in the treatment that they believe were most helpful in learning how to control their behavior and in regaining a sense of dignity and feeling for themselves as well. The steps in Voice Therapy that facilitate a decrease in violent thoughts and an increase in positive coping strategies are explored and illustrated by statements from several of the men.
Also featured are interviews with James Gilligan, Peter Fonagy, Felicity de Zuleta, Donald Meichenbaum, Robert Firestone, and Lisa Firestone who delineate the essential elements in conducting therapy with violent individuals. As the film ends, Dr. Gilligan calls attention to the important changes in public policy and prison reform he believes are necessary to prevent future recurring cycles of violent crime in our country.
