“…rather than doing to, we’re doing with” - Understanding therapeutic alliance formation during groupwork intervention for men convicted of sexual offences who are subject to polygraph testing in the community.

The therapeutic alliance plays a pivotal role in determining the success of group-based interventions for people convicted of sexual offences (PCoSO). However, the impact of the wider penal institutional context on this alliance, along with the way these dynamics are relationally navigated remains under-explored. Within the criminal justice system, therapeutic interactions and relations are shaped by complex power structures and paradoxical conditions. On the one hand PCoSO are subject to restrictive surveillance and risk management practices, with polygraph testing being a recent example. On the other, rehabilitative interventions have increasingly focused on desistance, promoting positive identity, access to social capital, and relational engagement.This thesis aims to understand this tension and provide insight into the ‘black box’ dynamics of therapeutic alliance formation and programme delivery within community-based groupwork treatment for PCoSO. A multi-perspectival longitudinal design was deployed to examine the therapeutic alliance within the Horizon Programme, integrating qualitative interviews and group session contact logs from 14 treatment facilitator–polygraphed group member dyads. A total of 22 participants, consisting of 8 group members and 14 therapists, were interviewed at the beginning, middle and end of treatment, resulting in 51 interviews being conducted and analysed.A key finding from this study is that the panoptic surveillance mechanisms within the probation institution shapes therapeutic interactions and the alliance through the treatment process. However, these dynamics are navigated through therapeutic interaction and relational reflexivity to develop a meaningful therapeutic alliance which enhances group members engagement and supports desistance. The humanising of interactions and actively diluting power dynamics values is central to this process. Although polygraph testing experiences causes pains for group members, it was viewed as separate from the therapeutic process due to a shared understanding of its limited therapeutic value and its potential to foster judgement and ‘othering’ within the group.