EFFECTIVENESS OF CORRECTIONAL PROGRAMS - AN ASSESSMENT OF THE FIELD (FROM CHILDREN OF ISHMAEL - CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON JUVENILE JUSTICE, 1978, BY BARRY KRISBERG AND JAMES AUSTIN - SEE NCJ-47012)

• NCJ Number: 47017
• Author(s): M RIEDEL; T P THORNBERRY
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 15 pages
• Corporate Author: Mayfield Publishing Co
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: AN EARLIER VERSION OF THIS PAPER APPEARED AS PART OF A REPORT FOR THE EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER OF WILKES COLLEGE, ENTITLED 'MEASUREMENT AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CORRECTIONAL PROGRAMS,' 1975

Annotation

EVALUATION RESEARCH ON REHABILITATION PROCEDURES IS SUMMARIZED AND THE FINDINGS CONCERNING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VARIOUS TREATMENT APPROACHES ARE CONSIDERED.

Abstract

DETERRENCE IS A TRADITIONAL GOAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, WHICH ASSUMES FREE WILL ON THE PART OF THE OFFENDER; AN OFFENDER WHO HAS NOT MADE THE APPROPRIATE CHOICES, MUST BE REHABILITATED. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF REHABILITATION PROGRAMS IS QUESTIONED, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE AMOUNT OF MONEY SPENT, SINCE THESE PROGRAMS HAVE NOT RESULTED IN CRIME REDUCTION. THE IMPORTANT VARIABLES IN THE STUDY OF CRIME REDUCTION ARE STATISTICS ON RECIDIVISM AND SELF-REPORTS ON VICTIMIZATION. VARIOUS ARTICLES ARE REVIEWED TO ASSESS CORRECTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND THE QUALITY OF RESEARCH. A STUDY BY ROBISON AND SMITH CONCLUDED THAT: (1) THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT COMMUNITY SUPERVISION IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN INSTITUTIONAL CONFINEMENT; (2) ADMINISTRATIVE NEEDS MAY BE MORE SIGNIFICANT IN DETERMINING LENGTH OF STAY THAN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INMATES; (3) DESPITE THE CONTINUING POPULARIZATION OF VARIOUS TREATMENT PROGRAMS AND THE INCREASED ATTENTION DEVOTED TO MORE RIGOROUS DESIGNS FOR THEIR EVALUATION, THERE ARE STILL NO TREATMENT TECHNIQUES WHICH HAVE UNEQUIVOCALLY DEMONSTRATED THEMSELVES CAPABLE OF REDUCING RECIDIVISM; (4) REDUCING THE CASELOAD SIZE WAS NOT EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING RECIDIVISM; AND (5) THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT ANY PROGRAM'S CLAIM OF SUPERIOR EFFICACY. THE ADAMS STUDY FOUND THAT THE SPECIAL INTENSIVE PAROLE UNIT, WHICH WAS EVALUATED BY ROBISON AND SMITH, IS SUCCESSFUL, BUT THE STUDY DID NOT CONSIDER ALL ASPECTS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT BY ROBISON AND SMITH. A LATER STUDY BY ADAMS ALSO CONCLUDED THAT THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE AFTER PSYCHOTHERAPY TREATMENTS FOR ADULTS, THOUGH THERE IS SOME IMPROVEMENT FOR JUVENILES. THE KIRBY STUDY IN 1954 SHOWS THAT MOST TREATMENT PROGRAMS ARE BASED ON HOPE AND SPECULATION, NOT ON VERIFIED INFORMATION. BAILEY ANALYZED THE FREQUENCY OF TYPES OF REPORTS, THE FREQUENCY OF TYPES OF TREATMENT, THE FREQUENCY OF TYPES OF SETTINGS, THE PROFESSIONAL IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCHERS, THEORIES USED IN CORRECTIONAL OUTCOME STUDIES, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TREATMENTS, AND CONCLUDED THAT EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THE EFFICACY OF CORRECTIONAL TREATMENT IS SLIGHT, INCONSISTENT, AND OF QUESTIONABLE RELIABILITY. A STUDY BY LOGAN ESTABLISHED 10 CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION, WHICH WERE NOT MET BY ANY OF THE STUDIES. LIPTON, MARTINSON, AND WILKS CONCLUDED THAT SOME METHODS HAD MODERATE SUCCESS, BUT THERE ARE NO SATISFACTORY WAYS TO REDUCE THE RECIDIVISM RATE. IN CONCLUSION, THE AUTHOR STATES THAT SINCE ALL OF THESE STUDIES HAD NEGATIVE RESULTS, SOME NEW, INNOVATIVE METHOD FOR DEALING WITH THE TREATMENT OF CRIMINALS SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED. NOTES AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (BAC)