NCJ Number
60532
Journal
Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: (3RD QUARTER 1979) Pages: 158-168
Date Published
1979
Length
11 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT A BIOCHEMICAL AND NUTRITIONAL APPROACH HAS AN IMPACT ON THE ARREST RATE OF PROBATIONERS. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NEEDED ON THE ORTHOMOLECULAR APPRAOCH.
Abstract
A STUDY SAMPLE OF 102 MISDEMEANANT PROBATIONERS WAS SELECTED BY TRICKLE RANDOM PROCESS INTO 4 GROUPS. ONE GROUP RECEIVED NUTRITIONAL COUNSELING; THE SECOND RECEIVED SPECIFIC NUTRITIONAL INSTRUCTION. EACH OF THESE WAS COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUPS WHICH RECEIVED CONVENTIONAL CASEWORK AND COUNSELING. DATA INCLUDING INFORMATION ON RECIDIVISM, WERE COLLECTED IN REGARD TO RECORDED OFFENSES FOR EACH GROUP FOR 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO PLACEMENT WITH THE STUDY GROUPS. EACH GROUP WAS COMPARED TO ITSELF OVER TIME AND EACH EXPERIMENTAL GROUP COMPARED TO ITS CONTROL GROUP. THE NULL HYPOTHESIS THAT 'THERE WOULD BE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN RECIDIVISTIC BEHAVIOR BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP AND THE CONTROL GROUPS' WAS EMPLOYED. DATA FROM THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT A BIOCHEMICAL OR NUTRITIONAL EMPHASIS OR APPROACH HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE ARREST RATE OF PROBATIONERS OVER TIME. NEITHER OF THE CONTROL GROUPS, USING CONVENTIONAL CASEWORK, SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ARREST RATE DURING THE 24-MONTH PERIOD. THE RECIDIVISM RATE FOR THE NUTRITION EDUCATION GROUP ALSO WAS FOUND TO BE THE LOWEST, 11.7 PERCENT, AMONG ALL FOUR GROUPS. BASED ON THE ADULT PROBATIONERS RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THIS STUDY, IT APPEARS THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOME BETWEEN THE MORE TRADITIONAL COUNSELING AND CASEWORK METHODS AND THE ORTHOMOLECULAR APPROACH. FIGURES, TABLES, AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--RFC)