Responsivity issues in the treatment of sexual offenders (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Principles of Effective Correctional Treatment Also Apply To Sexual Offenders
Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2009
The effectiveness of treatment for sexual offenders remains controversial, even though it is widely agreed that certain forms of human service interventions reduce the recidivism rates of general offenders. The current review examined whether the principles associated with effective treatments for general offenders (risk-need-responsivity; RNR) also apply to sexual offender treatment. Based on a meta-analysis of 23 recidivism outcome studies meeting basic criteria for study quality, the unweighted sexual and general recidivism rates for the treated sexual offenders were lower than the rates observed for the comparison groups (10.9%, n = 3,121 vs. 19.2%, n = 3,625 for sexual recidivism; 31.8%, n = 1,979 vs. 48.3%, n = 2,822 for any recidivism). Programs that adhered to the RNR principles showed the largest reductions in sexual and general recidivism. Given the consistency of the current findings with the general offender rehabilitation literature, the authors believe that the RNR pri...
A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of treatment for sexual offenders: Risk, need, and responsivity
2009
The effectiveness of treatment for sexual offenders remains controversial, even though it is widely agreed that certain forms of human service interventions reduce the recidivism rates of general offenders. The current review examined whether the principles associated with effective treatments for general offenders (Risk-Need-Responsivity: RNR) also apply to sexual offender treatment. Based on a meta-analysis of 23 recidivism outcome studies meeting basic criteria for study quality, the unweighted sexual and general recidivism rates for the treated sexual offenders were lower than the rates observed for the comparison groups (10.9% [n = 3,121] versus 19.2% [n = 3,625] for sexual recidivism; 31.8% [n = 1,979] versus 48.3% [n = 2,822] for any recidivism). Programs that adhered to the RNR principles showed the largest reductions in sexual and general recidivism. Given the consistency of the current findings with the general offender rehabilitation literature, we believe that the RNR principles should be a major consideration in the design and implementation of treatment programs for sexual offenders.
Previous Research History of Sexual Abuse Methods Data Analysis Results Discussion IT IS NO SURPRISE that the number of offenders under correctional supervision has been steadily increasing. In fact, this number has increased more than 188 percent since 1973 (Clear, 1994). Moreover, it is likely that on most days, more than 1.8 million Americans are behind bars (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998). Women and girls have not been left out of these increases in correctional populations, with data indicating that the rate of imprisonment for women increased twice as much as for men in the 1980s (Immarigeon and Chesney-Lind, 1992; Danner, 1998) and continues to increase each year at a greater rate than that for men (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998). Despite these trends, studies indicate that the public tends to support the idea of using the correctional system to rehabilitate offenders (see Cullen, Skovron, Scott, and Burton, 1990; Applegate, Cullen, and Fisher, 1997). Furthermore, there is a vast amount of literature indicating that rehabilitation efforts can "work." Given the increases in the numbers of people under correctional supervision and the fact that most offenders return to the streets, the need to find ways to effectively reduce recidivism through rehabilitation of offenders is imperative.
The Principles of Effective Correctional Treatment Also Apply To Sexual Offenders: A Meta-Analysis
Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2009
The effectiveness of treatment for sexual offenders remains controversial, even though it is widely agreed that certain forms of human service interventions reduce the recidivism rates of general offenders. The current review examined whether the principles associated with effective treatments for general offenders (risk-need-responsivity; RNR) also apply to sexual offender treatment. Based on a meta-analysis of 23 recidivism outcome studies meeting basic criteria for study quality, the unweighted sexual and general recidivism rates for the treated sexual offenders were lower than the rates observed for the comparison groups (10.9%, n = 3,121 vs. 19.2%, n = 3,625 for sexual recidivism; 31.8%, n = 1,979 vs. 48.3%, n = 2,822 for any recidivism). Programs that adhered to the RNR principles showed the largest reductions in sexual and general recidivism. Given the consistency of the current findings with the general offender rehabilitation literature, the authors believe that the RNR principles should be a major consideration in the design and implementation of treatment programs for sexual offenders.
Legal and Criminological Psychology
Purpose. Relapse prevention is an important goal in correctional settings. Although there is strong evidence for the effectiveness of certain treatment programs for juvenile offenders, those for adults lack such evidence. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a risk-need-responsivity (RNR)-based intervention. Methods. A quasi-experimental, observational study design and cox regression analysis were used to compare treated violent and sexual offenders (n = 171) with untreated offenders (n = 241). Results. Both groups were observed for an average of 7.9 years. Recidivism rates of treated offenders (11.7%, n = 20) were similar to those of control offenders (15.8%, n = 38; p = .25). When controlling for confounding variables, the hazard of recidivism in the treatment group was 5.2% lower than that in the control group. Subdividing the treatment group resulted in lower hazard ratios for offenders still in therapy when released and offenders cancelling therapy. However, none of the group differences was statistically significant. Conclusion. Our results show that control and RNR-based treatment groups had comparable recidivism rates with a trend towards a positive treatment effect, especially for people in outpatient treatment. However, criminal history, age at the start of followup, and actuarial risk of recidivism were significantly associated with recidivism. Future research needs to apply elaborate methodological approaches to detect robust treatment effects and consider different criteria of treatment effectiveness. Furthermore, the influence of prison climate, motivational factors, intervention quality, and factors supporting the success of outpatient treatment should be considered in future studies of larger offender samples.
International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 2013
The current paper critically reviews the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) and Good Lives Model (GLM) approaches to correctional treatment. Research, or the lack thereof, is discussed in terms of whether there is a need for a new model of offender rehabilitation. We argue that although there is a wealth of research in support of RNR approaches, there is presently very little available research demonstrating the efficacy of the GLM in terms of the impact that programs based on this model of rehabilitation have on observed rates of recidivism among offender populations. Additionally, the emphasis of the GLM approach on the principles and techniques of positive psychology is untested in the area of forensic psychology. Evidence with reference to the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders is discussed as this is a particular focus of the GLM approach. We conclude, in agreement with the developers of the GLM approach, that the RNR model needs to be adapted in order to incorporate recent research related to the factors associated with recidivism among sexual offenders. However, we argue that the GLM is largely an empirically untested model, and further offers little in terms of adding to or replacing the RNR model. We recognize that a revised version of the RNR based approach is necessary, incorporating an integrated approach to treatment, and we introduce and briefly describe the RNR-I (Integrated)), a model developed by the authors and supported by a variety of empirical research, including a number of outcome studies produced by our team and others.
Cognitive/Behavioral Treatment for Sexual Offenders: An Examination of Recidivism
Cognitive/Behavioral Treatment for Sexual Offenders: An Examination of Recidivism, 2001
Recent research in the treatment of sexual offenders suggests that comprehensive cognitive-behavioral approaches may yield lower recidivism. This study reviewed such a program, existing in Jackson County, Oregon, since 1982. Offenders were mandated into this community-based program upon conviction of a felony or misdemeanor sexual offense, and averaged 2-3 years of participation. A group of offenders who participated in the Jackson County program between 1985 and 1995 was identified through archival data from the Oregon Department of Corrections. The data revealed success or nonsuccess in treatment, and any new convictions for sexual or nonsexual offenses. A control group of nonsexual offenders in Jackson County, and a group of sexual offenders in Linn County who did not have access to any treatment program were also studied. As hypothesized, those Jackson County offenders who successfully completed treatment had lower recidivism rates than those who were unsuccessful in the program. The observed effect of the program was particularly strong for offenders who remained in treatment for 1 year or more. When review was restricted to those participants, the re-offense rate for Jackson County offenders was reduced by over 40% when compared with Linn County offenders. KEY WORDS: cognitive/behavioral treatment; sexual offenders; recidivism.
The Prison Journal, 2009
The research has demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral treatment programs for offenders work to reduce recidivism. One reason these programs have been found to be effective is that they target one of the "number one" predictors of crime, antisocial attitudes and values. Unfortunately, these programs may not "work" for all offenders. The literature suggests that personal characteristics of offenders, although not directly related to recidivism, may in fact interfere or hinder the ability for the program to "work." This is referred to in the liter ature as the "responsivity principle." This study seeks to understand the role that personal or responsivity characteristics of offenders play in whether these attitudes and distortions were reduced. This study found that although individ ual responsivity characteristics alone were not related to whether the program was successful, individuals with a combination of the important responsivity characteristics (e.g., low intelligence, low self-esteem, and history of sexual abuse) were less likely to benefit from the program. In fact, their cognitive dis tortions were often made worse. Thus, it may be that responsivity should be seen as having a cumulative effect. The more "issues" an offender has, the less likely the treatment will accomplish what it is "supposed to do"-which in this case was to reduce antisocial or cognitive distortions.
Dosage of treatment to sexual offenders: Are we overprescribing?
… Journal of Offender …, 2003
A sample of 337 offenders who received treatment in a variety of sex offender treatment programs in the Ontario region of Correctional Service Canada between 1993 and were divided based on the highest intensity sex offender programming that they received (low, moderate, and high). The three groups were compared with reference to a variety of actuarial risk assessment measures, criminogenic factors, and the number and type of treatment programs completed. It was hypothesized that the high-intensity group would have more criminogenic risk factors, higher actuarial scores, and participate in more treatment programs than both the moderate-and low-intensity groups. The results indicate that in general, the hypotheses were supported. Nonetheless, the results suggest that the low-intensity group may be receiving too much sex offender-specific treatment.