Abstract
Rehabilitation of the criminal offender is a goal of the criminal justice system. A range of programs have been developed for incarcerated offenders, although availability of these programs is typically inadequate. Programs often focus on educational or vocational deficits or address problems that contribute to crime, such as criminogenic thinking or substance abuse. This chapter summarizes the findings from meta-analyses that examine the effectiveness of such correctional programs. Overall, the evidence suggests that correctional programs produce some benefit. The existing evidence most strongly supports the effectiveness of the following programs: group-based cognitive-behavioral programs for general offenders, group-based cognitive-behavioral programs for sex offenders, hormonal mediation treatment for sex offenders, and prison-based therapeutic communities for substance abusing offenders. The evidence for educational and vocational programs is promising. No programs were found to be detrimental in terms of future criminal behavior. Additional rigorous research is needed to better understand what changes within an offender treatment programs should try to bring about.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
A standardized mean difference was converted to a logged odds ratio using \(\text{ln}(\text{OR})=d\left( \frac{\pi }{\sqrt{3}} \right)\), and then converted to an odds ratio (OR) using \(\text{OR}={{\text{e}}^{\text{ln}(\text{OR})}}\). A correlation coefficient was first converted to standardized mean difference and then converted to an odds ratio using the above formulas. The equation used to convert from a correlation to a standardized mean difference was \(d=\frac{2r}{\sqrt{1-{{r}^{2}}}}\).
References
Andrews, D. A., & Bonta, J. (2010). Rehabilitating criminal justice policy and practice. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 16(1), 39‑55. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0018362.
Belenko, S., & Peugh, J. (2005). Estimating drug treatment needs among state prison inmates. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 77(3), 269‑281. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2004.08.023.
Bushway, S. D. (2011). Labor markets and crime. In J. Q. Wilson & J. Petersilia (Eds.), Crime and public policy (pp. 183‑209). New York: Oxford University Press.
Chappell, C. A. (2004). Post-secondary correctional education and recidivism: A meta-analysis of research conducted 1990‑1999. Journal of Correctional Education, 55(2), 148.
Clear, T. R., Hardyman, P. L., Stout, B., Lucken, K., & Dammer, H. R. (2000). The value of religion in prison an inmate perspective. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 16(1), 53‑74. http://doi.org/10.1177/1043986200016001004.
Cullen, F. T., Fisher, B. S., & Applegate, B. K. (2000). Public opinion about punishment and corrections. Crime and Justice, 27, 1‑79. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1147662.
Dodson, K. D., Cabage, L. N., & Klenowski, P. M. (2011). An Evidence-Based assessment of Faith-Based programs: Do Faith-Based programs “Work” to reduce recidivism? Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 50(6), 367‑383. http://doi.org/10.1080/10509674.2011.582932.
Dowden, C., Antonowicz, D., & Andrews, D. A. (2003). The effectiveness of relapse prevention with offenders: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 47(5), 516‑528. http://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X03253018.
Egli, N., Pina, M., Christensen, P. S., Aebi, M., & Killias, M. (2009). Effects of drug substitution programs on offending among drug-addicts. Campbell Systematic Reviews, Issue 3; The Campbell Collaboration (http://www.campbellcollaboration.org).
French, M. T., McGeary, K. A., Chitwood, D. D., McCoy, C. B., Inciardi, J. A., & McBride, D. (2000). Chronic drug use and crime. Substance Abuse, 21(2), 95‑109. http://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007763129628.
Gallagher, C. A., Wilson, D. B., Hirschfield, P., Coggeshall, M. B., & MacKenzie, D. L. (1999). Quantitative review of the effects of sex offender treatment on sexual reoffendering. Corrections Management Quarterly, 3(4), 19‑29.
Greenberg, E., Dunleavy, E., & Kutner, M. (2007). Literacy behind bars: Results from the 2003 national assessment of adult literacy prison survey. NCES 2007‑473. Jessup, MD: National Center for Education Statistics. (ED Pubs. P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794‑1398. Tel: 877-433-7827; Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/help/orderinfo.asp)
Hall, G. C. N. (1995). Sexual offender recidivism revisited: A meta-analysis of recent treatment studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63(5), 802‑809. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.63.5.802.
Hanson, R. K., Bourgon, G., Helmus, L., & Hodgson, S. (2009). The principles of effective correctional treatment also apply to sexual offenders: A meta-analysis. Criminal Justice & Behavior, 36(9), 865‑891. http://doi.org/10.1177/0093854809338545.
Holzer, H. J., Raphael, S., & Stoll, M. A. (2003). Employment barriers facing ex-offenders. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.
Karberg, J. C., & James, D. J. (2005). Substance dependence, abuse, and treatment of jail inmates, 2002. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/sdatji02.pdf.
Kazdin, A. E. (2007). Mediators and mechanisms of change in psychotherapy research. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 3(1), 1‑27. http://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091432.
Kendall, P. C., Krain, A. L., & Henin, A. (2000). Cognitive-behavioral therapy. In P. C. Kendall (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 135‑139). New York: Oxford University Press.
Landenberger, N. A., & Lipsey, M. W. (2005). The positive effects of cognitive-behavioral programs for offenders: A meta-analysis of factors associated with effective treatment. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 1(4), 451‑476. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-005-3541-7.
Levenson, J. S., Brannon, Y. N., Fortney, T., & Baker, J. (2007). Public perceptions about sex offenders and community protection policies. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 7(1), 137‑161. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-2415.2007.00119.x.
Lipsey, M. W., & Cullen, F. T. (2007). The effectiveness of correctional rehabilitation: A review of systematic reviews. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 3, 297‑320. http://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.lawsocsci.3.081806.112833.
Lipton, D., Martinson, R., & Wilks, J. (1975). The effectiveness of correctional treatment: A survey of treatment evaluation studies. New York: Praeger.
Little, G. L., & Robinson, K. D. (1988). Moral Reconation Therapy: A systematic step-by-step treatment system for treatment resistant clients. Psychological Reports, 62(1), 135‑151. http://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1988.62.1.135.
Lösel, F., & Schmucker, M. (2005). The effectiveness of treatment for sexual offenders: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 1(1), 117‑146. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-004-6466‑7.
Mackenzie, D. L., Wilson, D. B., & Kider, S. B. (2001). Effects of correctional boot camps on offending. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 578(1), 126‑143. http://doi.org/10.1177/000271620157800108.
Mattick, R. P., Breen, C., Kimber, J., & Davoli, M. (2009). Methadone maintenance therapy versus no opioid replacement therapy for opioid dependence. In The Cochrane Collaboration & R. P. Mattick (Eds.), Cochrane database of systematic reviews. Chichester: Wiley.
Mitchell, O., Wilson, D. B., & MacKenzie, D. L. (2006). The effectiveness of incarceration-based drug treatment on criminal behavior. Campbell Systematic Reviews, Issue 11; The Campbell Collaboration (http://www.campbellcollaboration.org). http://doi.org/10.4073/csr.2006.11.
Mitchell, O., Wilson, D. B., & MacKenzie, D. L. (2007). Does incarceration-based drug treatment reduce recidivism? A meta-analytic synthesis of the research. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 3(4), 353‑375. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-007-9040‑2.
Morgan, R., Flora, D., Kroner, D., Mills, J., Varghese, F., & Steffan, J. (2012). Treating offenders with mental illness: A research synthesis. Law and Human Behavior, 36, 37‑50. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-011-9271-7.
Mumola, C. J., & Karberg, J. C. (2006). Drug use and dependence, state and federal prisoners, 2004. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics. (Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners, 2004)
Pearson, F. S., & Lipton, D. S. (1999). A meta-analytic review of the effectiveness of corrections-based treatments for drug abuse. The Prison Journal, 79(4), 384‑410. http://doi.org/10.1177/0032885599079004003.
Pearson, F. S., Lipton, D. S., Cleland, C. M., & Yee, D. S. (2002). The effects of behavioral/Cognitive-behavioral programs on recidivism. Crime & Delinquency, 48(3), 476‑496. http://doi.org/10.1177/001112870204800306.
Petersilia, J. (2009). When prisoners come home: Parole and prisoner reentry. New York: Oxford University Press.
Prendergast, M., Farabee, D., & Cartier, J. (2000). The impact of in-prison therapeutic community programs on prison management. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 32(3), 63‑78. http://doi.org/10.1300/J076v32n03_05.
Ross, R. R., Fabiano, E. A., & Ewles, C. D. (1988). Reasoning and rehabilitation. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 32(1), 29‑35. http://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X8803200104.
Rothman, D. J. (2002). Conscience and convenience: The asylum and its alternatives in progressive America. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Smith, P., Gendreau, P., & Swartz, K. (2009). Validating the principles of effective intervention: A systematic review of the contributions of meta-analysis in the field of corrections. Victims & Offenders, 4(2), 148‑169. http://doi.org/10.1080/15564880802612581.
Stallwitz, A., & Stöver, H. (2007). The impact of substitution treatment in prisons—A literature review. International Journal of Drug Policy, 18(6), 464‑474. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2006.11.015.
Sumter, M. (2006). Faith-based prison programs. Criminology & Public Policy, 5(3), 523‑528. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9133.2006.00399.x.
Taxman, F. S., & Belenko, S. (2012). Evidence-based implementation agenda (pp. 275‑314). New York: Springer.
Tong, L., & Farrington, D. (2008). Effectiveness of “Reasoning and Rehabilitation” in reducing reoffending. Psicothema, 20(1), 20‑28.
Uggen, C. (2000). Work as a turning point in the life course of criminals: A duration model of age, employment, and recidivism. American Sociological Review, 65(4), 529‑546. http://doi.org/10.2307/2657381.
Wells, E. (2009). Uses of meta-analysis in criminal justice research: A quantitative review. Justice Quarterly, 26(2), 268‑294. http://doi.org/10.1080/07418820802119984.
Wilson, D. B., Bouffard, L. A., & Mackenzie, D. L. (2005). A quantitative review of structured, group-oriented, cognitive-behavioral programs for offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 32(2), 172‑204. http://doi.org/10.1177/0093854804272889.
Wilson, D. B., Gallagher, C. A., & MacKenzie, D. L. (2000). A meta-analysis of corrections-based education, vocation, and work programs for adult offenders. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 37(4), 347‑368. http://doi.org/10.1177/0022427800037004001.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wilson, D.B. (2016). Correctional Programs. In: Weisburd, D., Farrington, D., Gill, C. (eds) What Works in Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation. Springer Series on Evidence-Based Crime Policy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3477-5_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3477-5_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-3475-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-3477-5
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)