The role of values in forensic and correctional rehabilitation

The principles of forensic and correctional rehabilitation inquiry, key forensic and correctional concepts, and their translation into practice are shot through with normative commitments of one type or another. The degree to which values pervade every level and aspect of research and practice is rarely, if ever, acknowledged. This is a problem, as it means that there may be a tendency to adopt research and practice positions that are ideological in nature and insufficiently justified. In this paper we examine how values of various types guide and shape action at the level of scientific inquiry, influence the construction of rehabilitation theories, and shape the concepts of dynamic risk and protective factors. For each class of normative issues, we propose ways in which researchers and practitioners can acknowledge these challenges while also respecting the factual basis of science.