Dosage is more than just counting program hours: The importance of role-playing in treatment outcomes

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe risk principle directs correctional practitioners to provide greater amounts of correctional treatment to higher-risk offenders, while the responsivity principle directs practitioners to target criminogenic needs using treatment modalities that have been shown to be the most effective at reducing recidivism for offenders as a group. One such treatment modality is cognitive-behavioral treatment. Consequently, more studies are attempting to identify the most effective amounts of cognitive-behavioral treatment to provide to offenders of varying risk levels in an effort to maximize recidivism reductions. This article builds upon prior dosage research by examining whether time spent on a specific strategy commonly employed in cognitive-behavioral programs—the use of role-play—serves as a moderator of the risk–dosage relationship. It does so using a sample of 980 male offenders who received treatment in a community-based correctional program in Ohio. The results indicate that practitioners should continue to match treatment dosage to risk, strive to provide the optimal amount of dosage suggested by previous studies, and maximize use of behavioral rehearsal techniques such as role-play.