Citation

Barnes N, Sanchez-Vives MV, Johnston T. Front. Psychol. 2022; 13: 787483.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Frontiers Research Foundation)

DOI

10.3389/fpsyg.2022.787483

PMID

35651568

PMCID

PMC9150755

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) allows the user to be immersed in environments in which they can experience situations and social interactions from different perspectives by means of virtual embodiment. In the context of rehabilitation of violent behaviors, a participant could experience a virtual violent confrontation from different perspectives, including that of the victim and bystanders. This approach and other virtual scenes can be used as a useful tool for the rehabilitation of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators, through improvement of their empathic skills or for training in non-violent responses. In this perspective, we revise and discuss the use of this tool in a prison environment for the rehabilitation of IPV perpetrators with a particular focus on practical aspects based on our experience.

Language: en

Keywords

offenders; intimate partner violence; virtual reality; rehabilitation; empathy; embodiment; prisons; violent behavior