Managing Prisons Effectively: The Potential of Contingency Management Programs 2011-04

• NCJ Number: 238400
• Author(s): Paul Gendreau Ph.D.; Shelley J. Listwan Ph.D.; Joseph B. Kuhns Ph.D.
• Date Published: August 2011
• Length: 18 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Public Safety Canada
• Corporate Author: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Sale Source: Public Safety Canada
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the effectiveness of contingency management programs for use in improving the management of prisoners.

Abstract

The study found that participants in contingency management (CM) programs in prisons showed a 60-70 percent improvement in their adjustment to prison and educational and work skills compared to inmates who had participated in other intervention programs. In addition, inmates with lower risk levels showed almost 20 percent more improvement compared to inmates with higher risk levels. The aims of this study were twofold: 1) to examine the effectiveness of contingency management programs for use in improving the management of prisoners, and 2) to develop a set of principles indicative of successful CM programs. Data for the study were obtained from a meta-analysis of 20 studies conducted from 1965 through 2004 that evaluated the effectiveness of CM programs in prisons, training schools, closed residential units, and psychiatric settings. The studies evaluated the ability of CM programs to produce substantial improvements in institutional adjustment and educational and work related behaviors. The findings indicate that CM programs are substantially better at improving prisoners' adjustment to prison life. The study also developed two categories of principles for use establishing CM programs: implementation principles and treatment principles - what to do, what not to do, and what could be problematic. References