NCJ Number
80044
Journal
Justitiele verkenningen Issue: 2 Dated: (1979) Pages: 5-28
Date Published
1979
Length
24 pages
Annotation
An overview of a study by the Dutch Center for Scientific Research and Documentation discusses the development of offender treatment and rehabilitation philosophies and evaluation studies, sample assistance models, and the implications of the programs for differential treatment concepts.
Abstract
Starting in the 1950's, thought on offender rehabilitation has gone through three phases: 1) enthusiastic advocacy of psychological theories on individual treatment and of humanitarian rehabilitation ideals ('promise of treatment'); 2) dampened enthusiasm about treatment program effectiveness; and 3) a search for new approaches to replace earlier, less effective models. Approaches currently advocated are community-based programs and differential treatment, which gears specific treatment modes to offenders classified by type. The differential approach is illustrated by the American Community Treatment Project (CTP) of the California Youth Authority and the English Intensive Matched Probation and After-Care Treatment (IMPACT). Both programs provide for individualized treatment, classification of offenders according to particular personality tests, and matching of offenders with assisting social workers. Evaluation has shown that the CTP program is more effective for neurotics and passive conformists and that the most difficult subjects still have high recidivism rates. The IMPACT program produces little overall improvement in recidivism rates, although the average delinquent does relatively poorly and the offender with pronounced personality problems does relatively well under the intensive situational treatment. Evaluation of both programs suggests that systematic classification and differentiation of offenders can lead to increased program success. The usefulness of the approaches can be further enhanced by improved typologies, matching of social workers to clients, and an intake system that measures client problems and potential. A 21-item bibliography is supplied.