Transferring the Principles of Effective Treatment into a “Real World” Prison Setting

Abstract

The principles of risk, need, and responsivity have been empirically linked to the effectiveness of treatment to reduce reoffending, but the transference of these principles to the inside of prison walls is difficult. Results from a sample of 620 incarcerated male offenders—482 who received either a 5-week, 10-week, or 15-week prison-based treatment program and 138 untreated comparison offenders—found that treatment significantly reduced recidivism (odds ratio of .56; effect size r of .10) and that the amount of treatment (e.g., “dosage”) played a significant role (odds ratios between .92 and .95 per week of treatment; adjusted effect size r of .01 and .02). These results indicate that prison-based treatment can be effective in reducing recidivism, that dosage plays a mediating role, and that there may be minimum levels of treatment required to reduce recidivism that is dependent on the level of an offender’s risk and need.