What works in reducing arson-related offending

The crime of arson is the only offence to have a higher prevalence among juvenile offenders than adults. Consequently, the literature on clinical and forensic assessment and treatment of fire-setters has tended to focus on interventions aimed at children and adolescents. The chapter provides a review of the existing literature describing treatment approaches derived from particular theoretical standpoints on fire-setting. The discussion reflects the four Multi-Trajectory Theory of Adult Fire-setting (M-TTAF) pathways to the extent that the inherent components have been recognized in existing clinical approaches to fire-setting. To some extent, this is also a historical review, beginning with the psychoanalytic theory of fire-setting, and concluding with the most recent cognitive behavioural programmes.