John E. Hodge 1948-2024

We are sad to announce the death of John Hodge. Tributes received from former colleagues and forensic psychologists nationwide show just how much he was valued as a psychologist, a colleague and a friend. 

Born in Irvine and a graduate of Glasgow University in psychology and then clinical psychology, John first worked in Edinburgh and Lochgilphead, developing an interest in addictions. In 1987, he moved to Rampton Hospital, a high security hospital, first as Head of Psychology and then as Head of Rehabilitation Services. 

Over his 16 years at Rampton he developed the Psychology service both in size and scope, pioneering the integration of Forensic and Clinical psychology practitioners in service delivery. In his time as Director of Rehabilitation, he led the transformation of the therapeutic culture of the hospital. Underpinning this was his commitment to client-focused practice. He eschewed simplistic labelling and reductionistic interventions. He remained true to his applied behavioural analysis heritage, which drove his commitment to individualised multifactorial formulation. This, at the time, was arguably nothing short of radical in forensic practice. 

His lifelong research and clinical interest in addictions led him to remind practitioners of the need to always factor in the potential confounding impact of substance misuse in the forensic presentation, a caution that remains as salient today as it was innovative then. His contribution to this field extended beyond the forensic domain, John remaining for many years a senior training figure within the Scottish Council on Alcoholism.

John also made a significant contribution to the development of forensic psychology training through the Training Committee of the Division of Criminological & Legal Psychology (the former name of the Division of Forensic Psychology) in the mid-2000s. He took on the role of Chief Supervisor and Registrar for the BPS Qualification in Forensic Psychology and worked tirelessly over the years to support trainees and supervisors in undertaking the process. His aim was to simplify a training route, which was realistic in standards but also ensured quality, and his focus on this led to real improvements in the specification of the competencies and their assessment.

John retired in 2003 and enjoyed his time with new hobbies, particularly geology and fossil hunting, which he often combined with caravanning trips to beautiful areas of the UK. For his 70th birthday, his family arranged for him to be one of the crew of a tall ship that visited Scotland's island distilleries, thus indulging in another of his interests – whisky, particularly the peaty varieties such as Laphroaig. 

Mary, his wife of over 50 years, his son Colin and daughters Catriona and Laura, and his grandchildren Isla and Murray will miss John's love, support and humour. We will all miss a significant psychologist and a supportive and compassionate colleague.