Studies suggest that speech, language and communication difficulties are more prevalent in the prison population than in the general population. This paper details the use of Talking Mats with a man on probation who struggled to talk about his offence. It explores how this approach enabled him to communicate more effectively about his index offence and thus inform a more thorough risk management plan. It is proposed that Talking Mats can be a way of working with people in the criminal justice system who might otherwise be labelled as ‘hard to reach’.
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