EFFECTIVE CORRECTIONAL TREATMENT - BIBLIOTHERAPY FOR CYNICS

• NCJ Number: 62168
• Journal: Crime and Delinquency Volume: 25 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1979) Pages: 463-489
• Author(s): P GENDREAU; B ROSS
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 27 pages
• Corporate Author: National Council on Crime and Delinquency
• Sale Source: National Council on Crime and Delinquency; UMI Dissertation Services; Institute for Scientific Information
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A REVIEW OF LITERATURE ON CORRECTIONAL TREATMENT PUBLISHED FROM 1973 TO 1978 DEMONSTRATES THAT SOME SUCCESSFUL CORRECTIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAMS DO EXIST.

Abstract

STUDIES MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE LITERATURE REVIEW HAD TO EMPLOY AT LEAST A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, CONTAIN A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DATA, AND REPORT ON A FOLLOWUP PERIOD OF AT LEAST 6 MONTHS. A TOTAL OF 95 PROGRAMS TREATING ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIORS WAS EVALUATED. THE LITERATURE WAS CLASSIFIED INTO THE FOLLOWING GROUPS: FAMILY AND COMMUNITY INTERVENTION, CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT, COUNSELING, DIVERSION, BIOMEDICAL ASSISTANCE, AND MISCELLANEOUS TREATMENT. ADDITIONALLY, A SUMMARY OF STUDIES THAT DEAL WITH SUCH RELATED PROBLEMS AS ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ABUSE IS INCLUDED. RESULTS POINT TO SEVERAL INTERVENTION PROGRAMS THAT HAVE PROVEN SUCCESSFUL WITH OFFENDERS. RECENTLY DEVELOPED FAMILY INTERVENTION STRATEGIES REPRESENT AN IMPRESSIVE AND SIGNIFICANT GAIN IN TREATING JUVENILE DELINQUENTS. CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT, A COMMON TYPE OF BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION PROGRAM USED IN CORRECTIONS, AIMS TO CHANGE DISCRETE SOCIAL BEHAVIORS IN THE HOME, IN THE SCHOOL, ON THE JOB, OR IN INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS. A NUMBER OF THESE PROGRAMS ARE GEARED TO IMPROVING THE OFFENDER'S ADJUSTMENT TO THE COMMUNITY, AND 25 OF THESE WERE FOUND TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY FOLLOWUP. A NUMBER OF STUDIES FOCUSED ON THE USE OF BEHAVIORAL CONTRACTS--WRITTEN AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THERAPIST AND CLIENT ABOUT TARGET BEHAVIORS TO BE CHANGED--REPORTING SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RECIDIVISM RATES AMONG PARTICIPANTS. COUNSELING WAS FOUND TO BE AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF OTHER TYPES OF PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS AN APPROACH IN ITSELF. TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS WAS MOST SUCCESSFUL WITH INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED AS NEUROTIC AND AGGRESSIVE OR UNSOCIALIZED PASSIVE. ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS ADMINISTRATIVE AND BUREAUCRATIC PROBLEMS EXIST WITH DIVERSIONARY PROGRAMS, THEY DO PROVIDE A VARIETY OF INTERVENTION STRATEGIES, HAVE THE GREATES NUMBER OF CONTACT HOURS WITH THE CLIENTS, AND REPORT POSITIVE RESULTS WITH FAMILIES. OTHER SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTION PROGRAMS ARE HIGHLIGHTED, SUCH AS BIOMEDICAL ASSISTANCE, ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT, AND THERAPY FOR SEXUAL DEVIANTS. NUMEROUS FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED. (PRG)