Citation

Williams DJ. Leisure Sci. 2006; 28(1): 91-95.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/01490400500332744

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Forensics broadly refers to law or the legal system. Forensic settings may include courtrooms, police stations, correctional institutions, and crime labs, and this work often deals with crime directly. Like forensics, leisure is also a broad term and there exists no consensus definition among scholars. Leisure has been described at various times as an activity, as time free from obligations, as a meaningful and satisfying experience. Domestic violence and repeated sexual offending may be cyclical, and leisure may be present in different stages of these processes. Recently, I conducted an instrumental case study wherein recreation patterns were analyzed within a treated pedophile's sexual assault cycle. To understand the process of how individuals choose to engage in a variety of different criminal behaviors, it is important to explore their everyday worlds and lifestyles. The U.S. criminal justice system is currently caring for and supervising nearly seven million adults. As a forensic psychotherapist and a young leisure researcher, I see the important role that leisure plays in the lives of offenders. The field of leisure has much to offer the world of forensics. Leisure researchers can offer forensics new ways of viewing and explaining crime and crime-free living. Finally, forensics has much to offer leisure sciences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)