Exploring forensic practitioners’ perceptions of the implementation of animal-assisted interventions within forensic settings: a reflexive thematic analysis

Objectives: To address a gap within the literature by exploring forensic practitioners’ perceptions about the benefits and feasibility of animal-assisted interventions (AAIs). Research question: What are forensic practitioners’ perceptions of the implementation of AAIs within forensic settings?
Design: A qualitative study design is being employed, where the lead researcher is facilitating one-toone semi-structured interviews. This methodology has been selected as semi-structured interviews will acquire rich, in-depth data, due to the utilisation of open-ended questions.
Methods: The anticipated sample size is between 15-20 participants. At present, seven interviews have been conducted. Participants’ are being recruited via opportunistic sampling. Participants’ are required to be forensic practitioners, over the age of 18, and have experience working with incarcerated individuals, with any length of service. Reflexive Thematic Analysis will be employed for
identifying, coding, generating, and defining recurring patterns and themes within the qualitative data.
Results: It is anticipated that the results will inform and guide United Kingdom (UK) government policy and practice, by providing recommendations to forensic institutions working with incarcerated individuals regarding the benefits and challenges of AAIs. The findings will also provide evidence that will encourage the facilitation of appropriate care and interventions, to ensure that the mental
health of incarcerated individuals within forensic settings in the UK is improved.
Conclusions: There is currently no literature exploring forensic practitioners’ perceptions of AAIs. Therefore, it is imperative to conduct the current research to determine whether an intervention of this type will be feasible to introduce within more forensic settings in the UK.