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WHATWORKSINREDUCINGRECIDIVISM?

EDWARD

LATESSA*CHRISTOPHERLOWENKAMP**

THEPRINCIPLESOFEFFECTIVEINTERVENTION

Overthepastseveraldecades,scholarsincorrectionshavefocusedincreased-attention.onstudyingtheeffectivenessofcorrectionalinterven-tionsandsanctions.Thereisnowasubstantialbodyofresearchontheeffectivenessofcorrectionalinterventionsinreducingrecidivism.Thisre-searchhasledtotheidentificationofsomekeyfindings,summarizedasthe"principlesofeffectiveintervention."Theseprinciplesformtheconceptualandempiricalunderpinningsforunderstandingthis.bodyofresearch,andthisarticlesummarizesthem.Additionally,findingsfromtwolarge-scalestudiesofcorrectionalprograms,conductedinOhio,willbepresented.Thesefindingswilldemonstratethatthekeyisnolongersimplyidentifyingwhatworks,butinsteaddeterminingwhatconditionsandcharacteristicsofprogramsareassociatedwiththegreatesteffectiveness.The

research

re-portedinthisarticlehelpstosummarizesomeofthekeycharacteristicscorrectionalprogramsneedtofollowtohavesubstantive

impacts

ontherecidivismratesoftheoffenderstheyserve.Mostresearcherswhohavestudiedcorrectionalinterventionshaveconcludedthatwithoutsomeformofhuinaninterventionorservicesthereisunlikelytobeasignificanteffectonrecidivismfrompunishmentalone:Whileevidencefromalargebodyofresearchdemonstratesthattreatmentismoreeffectiveinreducingrecidivismthanpunishmentalone,notalltreat-mentprogramsareequallyeffective.Thisresearchiscollectivelyknownasthe"whatworks"literature."Whatworks"isnotaprogramoranintervention,butabodyofknowledgebasedonoverthirtyyearsofresearchthathasbeenconductedbynumerousscholarsacrossNorthAmerica.'Alsoreferredtoas"evi-

Ph.D.,Professor

DivisionHead,DivisionofCriminalJustice,UniversityofCincinnati.

.**

Ph.D.,ResearchAssistantProfessor,DivisionofCriminalJustice,UniversityofCincinnati.

Seegenerally

D.A.Andrews,IvanZinger,RobertD.Hoge,JamesBonta,PaulGendreau

FrancisT.Cullen,

DoesCorrectionalTreatmentWork?AClinicallyRelevantandPsychologi-

521

522

UNIVERSITYOFST.THOMASLAWJOURNAL

[Vol.3:3

dence-basedpractice,"the"whatworks"movementdemonstratesempiri-callythatrecidivismratescanbesignificantlyreducedthroughtheoreticallysound,well-designedprogramsthatappropriatelyapplytheprinciplesof.effectiveintervention.Throughthereviewandanalysisofhundredsofstud-ies,researchershaveidentifiedasetofprinciplesthatshouldguidecorrec-tionalprograms.Knownasthe"principlesofeffectiveintervention,"theycanbesummarizedasrisk,need,treatment,andfidelity..

RiskPrinciple

Thefirstprincipleistheriskprinciple,orthe"who"totarget.Thisprinciplestatesthatourmostintensivecorrectionaltreatmentandinterven-tionprogramsshouldbereservedforhigh-riskoffenders."Risk"inthiscontextreferstothoseoffenderswithahigherprobabilityofrecidivating,whilelow-riskoffendersarethosewhogenerallydisplaypro-socialattrib-utesandhavealowchanceofrecidivating.Onewaytothinkofthedistinc-tionistoconsiderriskfactors.Whoisathigh-riskforcontinuedcriminalconduct-onewhominimizeshisorhercriminalbehavior,hangsaroundwithotherswhogetintotrouble,actsimpulsively,neverfinisheshighschool,andhasdifficultymaintainingemployment;oronewhoacceptsre-sponsibilityforhisorheractions,hasfriendswhoavoidtrouble,finishesschool,andisgainfullyemployed?Clearlytheformerisatgreaterriskforcontinuedcriminalbehaviorandhasagreaterneedforintervention,whilethelatterisunlikelytore-offend.Squanderingourscarcecorrectionaltreatmentprogramresourcesonlow-fiskoffendersthatdonotneedthemisawasteofthoseresources.Moreimportantly,researchhasclearlydemonstratedthatwhenweplacelow-riskoffendersinourmoreintenseprograms,weoftenincreasetheirfailurerates(andthusreducetheoveralleffectivenessofthe

program)."

Thereareseveralreasonsthisoccurs.First,placinglow-riskoffendersinwithhigh-riskoffendersmayleadtoan"education"inanti-socialbehaviorforthelow-riskoffender.Forexample,let'ssaythatyourteenagesonordaughterdidnotusedrugs,butgotintosometroublewiththe.law.Wouldyouwanthimorherinaprogramorgroupwithheavydrugusers?Ofcoursenot,sinceitismorelikelythatthehigh-riskyouthswouldinfluence

callyInformedMeta-Analysis,

29Criminology369(1990);PaulGendreau,

ThePrinciplesofEf-fectiveInterventionWithOffenders,

ChoosingCorrectionalOptionsThatWork:DefiningtheDemandandEvaluatingtheSupply,

117(AlanT.Harlanded.,SagePublications1996).2.ChristopherT.Lowenkamp

EdwardJ.Latessa,

UnderstandingtheRiskPrinciple:HowandWhyCorrectionalInterventionsCanHarmLow-RiskOffenders,

TopicsinCommunityCorrections3,6(2004);ChristopherT.Lowenkamp

EdwardJ.Latessa,

IncreasingtheEffec-tivenessofCorrectionalProgrammingThroughtheRiskPrinciple:IdentifyingOffendersforResi-dentialPlacement,

4(2)CriminologyandPub.Policy263,277'(2005)[hereinafterLowenkamp,

IncreasingtheEffectiveness];

ChristopherT.Lowenkamp,Edward

Latessa

AlexanderMHolsinger,

TheRiskPrincipleinAction:WhatHaveWeLearnedFrom

13,676

Offendersand97CorrectionalPrograms?

(1)

CrimeandDelinquency77,89(2006).

2006]

WHATWORKSINREDUCINGRECIDIVISM?

523

yourchildmorethantheotherwayaround.Second,placinglow-riskof-fendersintheseprogramsalsotendstodisrupttheirpro-socialnetworks;inotherwords,theveryattributesthatmakethemlow-riskbecomeinter-rupted,suchasschool,employment,family,andsoforth.Remember,thesecharacteristics(e.g.,schoolperformance,employment,lackofsubstanceabuse,pro-socialfriends,ana.goodfamilyrelationships)arewhatdefinelow-riskoffenders.Ofcourse,low-riskoffendersmayrequiresomeinter-vention(theydidbreakthelawafterall);however,simplyholdingthemaccountablefortheiractions,andimposingsomeminimalsanctionisusu-allysufficienttopreventrecidivism.

NeedPrinciple

Thesecondprincipleisreferredtoastheneedprinciple,orthe"what"totarget.Theneedprinciplestatesthatprogramsshouldtargetcrime-pro-ducingneeds(i.e.,criminogenicfactors)suchasanti-socialpeerassocia-tions,anti-socialpersonalitytraits,substanceabuse,lackofproblem-solvingandself-controlskills,anti-socialattitudes,valuesandbeliefs,andotherfactorsthatarehi&_hlycorrelatedwithcriminalconduct.

Programsneedtoensurethatthevastmajorityoftheirinterventionsarefocusedonthesefactors.Non-criminogenicfactorssuchasself-esteem,physicalconditioning,understandingone'scultureorhistory,andcreativeabilitieswillnothavemucheffectonreducingcriminalconduct,sincethesefactorshavenotbeenfoundtobehighlycorrelatedwithcriminalbehavior.Anexampleofaprogramthattendstotargetnon-criminogenicfactorscanbeseeninoffender-based,military-stylebootcamps.Theseprogramstendtofocusonnon-criminogenicfactors,suchasdrillandceremony,physicalconditioning,discipline,self-esteem,andbondingoffenderstogether.Be-causetheytendtofocusonnon-crime-producingneeds,moststudiesshowthatbootcampshavelittleimpactonfuturecriminalbehavior,"andmayinfactincreasefailureratessincetheyoftenmodelaggressivebehaviorandbondcriminalanddelinquentgroupstogether,whichissomethingthatshouldbeavoidedwiththispopulation.

TreatmentPrinciple

Thethirdprincipleisthetreatmentprinciple,andtellsus"how"togoabouttargetingoffenders'needs.Thisprinciplestatesthatthemosteffec-tiveprogramsarebehavioralinnature.Behavioralprogramshaveseveralattributes.First,theyarecenteredonthe

present