Offense Recidivism Research Articles

Protective + Risk Observations For Eliminating Sexual Offense Recidivism (PROFESOR): rationale for development and an initial investigation of reliability

ABSTRACT The Protective + Risk Observations For Eliminating Sexual Offense Recidivism (PROFESOR) is designed to identify risk and protective factors for individuals aged 12–25 who have engaged in, or have been accused of engaging in, illegal or otherwise abusive sexual behaviour. Unlike most risk assessment tools which are designed to predict the future, the PROFESOR is designed to identify dynamic protective and risk factors that can inform interventions that will facilitate sexual and relationship health and, thus, eliminate sexual offense recidivism. The rationale for the development of the PROFESOR is outlined, and an investigation of the tool’s reliability is presented. For this study, 58 individuals (aged 12–20 years; M = 16.3; SD = 1.63) in residential treatment for male youth who have engaged in sexually harming behaviour were rated by a pair of clinicians from a group of 15 clinicians (therapists and their supervisors). Unlike typical investigations of interrater agreement where a small number of raters utilise identical file material, PROFESOR ratings were made based on the clinicians’ working knowledge of the individuals in their care. Excellent interrater agreement was demonstrated with the Total score, as were significant item-total correlations and internal consistency estimates, indicating encouraging evidence of the reliability of the PROFESOR. PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENT This paper identifies the limitations of risk prediction tools for adolescent sexual recidivism and outlines the rationale for the development of the PROFESOR, an assessment tool designed to inform intervention goals and intensity by identifying both risk and protective factors. Data from therapists and supervisors at a residential treatment facility indicated encouraging evidence of the reliability (i.e. interrater agreement, item-total correlation, and internal consistency) of the PROFESOR.

Optimising Alcohol Interlock Program Performance

The evidence for the effectiveness of alcohol interlock programs (AIP) was examined. Interest centred on understanding the individual impact of specific elements that can be incorporated within a program. The overall aim was to formulate the optimal design for an alcohol interlock program. An exploratory review of the literature was conducted to inform the development of a model AIP program. This model design can be used to inform the development of new AIP, guide evaluations of existing AIP, and suggest improvements to AIP. Four key metrics of the effectiveness of AIP were identified: offence recidivism, crashes, breath test violations, and program participation. Two factors have a positive impact on participation: reducing cost, and shorter suspension periods in exchange for participation in the program. There is significant evidence that alcohol interlocks reduce drink driving recidivism while installed, and some evidence that they reduce crashes. However, there was a reduction in impact once the device was removed from the vehicle, and recidivism may return to pre-instalment levels unless additional measures are included in the program. An education and treatment component appears to be important for reducing post-program recidivism. Key elements of this education and treatment component include a focus on separating drinking and driving, use of interlock data in counselling and therapy, and the ability to provide a range of therapeutic approaches that vary in intensity, and which can be escalated based on interlock performance data and guided by standardised alcohol assessment instruments.

Optimising Alcohol Interlock Program Performance

The evidence for the effectiveness of alcohol interlock programs (AIP) was examined. Interest centred on understanding the individual impact of specific elements that can be incorporated within a program. The overall aim was to formulate the optimal design for an alcohol interlock program. An exploratory review of the literature was conducted to inform the development of a model AIP program. This model design can be used to inform the development of new AIP, guide evaluations of existing AIP, and suggest improvements to AIP. Four key metrics of the effectiveness of AIP were identified: offence recidivism, crashes, breath test violations, and program participation. Two factors have a positive impact on participation: reducing cost, and shorter suspension periods in exchange for participation in the program. There is significant evidence that alcohol interlocks reduce drink driving recidivism while installed, and some evidence that they reduce crashes. However, there was a reduction in impact once the device was removed from the vehicle, and recidivism may return to pre-instalment levels unless additional measures are included in the program. An education and treatment component appears to be important for reducing post-program recidivism. Key elements of this education and treatment component include a focus on separating drinking and driving, use of interlock data in counselling and therapy, and the ability to provide a range of therapeutic approaches that vary in intensity, and which can be escalated based on interlock performance data and guided by standardised alcohol assessment instruments.

The Role of Psychopathic Traits and Supportive Parental Practices in Long-Term Juvenile Recidivism: a 10-Year Follow-Up

Recidivism rates of juvenile delinquents remain high despite numerous intervention efforts. Identifying factors that can predict (long-term) recidivism is therefore an important research issue. Knowledge on why juveniles re-offend is a key to effective interventions as it helps to identify factors most likely to be successful targets in intervention programs. A 10-year follow-up study prospectively examined whether psychopathic traits and supportive parental practices predicted the timing and frequency of recidivism in juvenile delinquents. Participants were 256 adolescents who were referred to treatment for serious antisocial behavior (72.4% male). Participants were between 12 and 18 years old at baseline (M = 15.9 years). Parents reported on juveniles’ psychopathic traits and supportive parental practices at baseline. At 10-year follow-up, the official recidivism data were collected. A substantial number of juveniles (86.3%) had recidivated at 10-year follow-up. Juvenile psychopathic traits and supportive parental practices did not incrementally predict the timing or frequency of recidivism over time over and beyond the static control variables gender and prior offenses. The present study confirms previous work suggesting that static risk factors gender and prior offenses are strongest predictors of recidivism.

Community-Based Treatment for Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses Using the Integrated Risk Assessment and Treatment System Model Versus Standard Correctional Programming

The present investigation examined a group of 90 clients receiving treatment for issues related to sexual offending in The Central District (Ontario) Sex Offender Treatment Program operated by Correctional Service Canada (CSC). Treatment was provided in line with the Integrated Risk Assessment and Treatment System (IRATS) Model developed by the authors. A group of 55 individuals who had not received sexual offense–specific treatment but who received standard correctional programming offered by paraprofessionals were used as a basis of comparison. Risk assessment data were available for all clients included in the analyses. Results indicated that there were no differences between groups on the RRASOR (an actuarial instrument designed to assess risk of sexual offense recidivism) with reference to sexual offender recidivism risk. With reference to sexual offense recidivism, only one of the treated clients recidivated sexually over 8.17 years of follow-up versus four of the 55 comparison group who were followed for a significantly shorter period of time (i.e., 6.9 years).

Advancing Research: An Examination of Differences in Characteristics of Sexual and Non-Sexual Offense Recidivism Using a 10-Year Follow-Up.

In this article, we examine our current understanding of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the intersection of mental health challenges and substance use on sexual and non-sexual recidivism. This study uses administrative data and comprehensive case files of a sample of 626 individuals who were incarcerated for a sexual offense. Each case was standardized to a 10-year post-release follow-up time for criminal history review. Findings reveal that ACEs, mental health challenges, and substance use disorder, along with a variety of other factors, affect the pathway to re-offending differently. Interestingly, despite the recent legislative push to utilize one standardized predictor of risk, individuals who commit sexual offenses (ICSOs) had very different re-offending patterns based on historic life events. This research will inform the current legislative debate by providing relevant empirical data on a large sample of ICSOs followed for a substantial period of time.

Protective factors in the prediction of criminal outcomes for youth with sexual offenses using tools developed for adults and adolescents: Tests of direct effects and moderation of risk.

Interest in protective factors in risk assessment work with adjudicated populations is increasing and evidence suggests that protective factors in structured professional judgment (SPJ) tools predict the absence of one or more types of recidivism with some evidence also of incremental validity in recidivism-desistance prediction models with risk scales. But, there is little evidence of interactions, demonstrated using formal tests of moderation, between scores on risk- and protective factor-focused applied assessment tools, despite the documentation of interactive protective effects with nonadjudicated populations. In this study, with 273 justice-involved male youth and a fixed 3-year follow-up, direct effects of medium size were found for sexual recidivism, violent (including sexual) recidivism, and any new offense with totals for tools developed for adult offending populations (modified versions of the actuarial risk-focused Static-99 and the SPJ protective factor-focused Structured Assessment of PROtective Factor [SAPROF]) and tools developed for adolescent offending populations (the actuarial risk-focused Juvenile Sexual Offense Recidivism Risk Assessment Tool-II [JSORRAT-II] and the SPJ protective factor-focused DASH-13). As well, incremental validity and interactive protective effects, in the small-to-medium size range, were found for the prediction of violent (including sexual) recidivism using various combinations of these tools. The value-added information provided by strengths-focused tools indicated by these findings suggest their inclusion in comprehensive risk assessments in applied practice has promise for improving prediction and also intervention and management planning with justice-involved youth. The findings also highlight the need for further research on developmental considerations and practical questions about how to integrate strengths with risks to inform such work empirically. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Effectiveness of Moral Developmental Interventions for Youth Engaged in Delinquent Behavior: A Meta-Analysis.

There is vast empirical evidence showing that juvenile delinquency is associated with delays in moral development, including moral judgment, empathy, and self-conscious emotions (guilt and shame). Consequently, interventions have been developed that target moral development of juvenile delinquents to reduce criminal offense recidivism. However, a comprehensive synthesis of studies examining the effectiveness of these interventions was not yet available. The present meta-analysis of (quasi-)experimental research therefore examined the effects of interventions that target moral development of youth engaged in delinquent behavior. Interventions that targeted moral judgment (11 studies and 17 effect sizes) showed a significant and small-to-medium effect on moral judgment (d = 0.39), with intervention type as a significant moderator, but no significant effect on recidivism (d = 0.03; 11 studies and 40 effect sizes). No (quasi-)experimental studies were found that targeted guilt and shame in juvenile offenders, and an insufficient number of studies (i.e., only two) were found to conduct a meta-analysis of interventions that target empathy. The discussion focuses on potential ways to improve moral development interventions for youth engaged in delinquent behavior, and provides suggestions for future research.

The effectiveness of blended versus regular Forensic Outpatient Systemic Therapy in the treatment of juvenile antisocial behavior: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAntisocial behavior during adolescence can have long-lasting negative effects and leads to high societal costs. Forensic Outpatient Systemic Therapy (Forensische Ambulante Systeem Therapie; FAST) is a promising treatment for juveniles aged 12–21 showing severe antisocial behavior. The intensity, content and duration of FAST can be adjusted to the needs of the juvenile and their caregiver(s), which is considered crucial for effective treatment. Next to the regular version of FAST (FASTr), a blended version (FASTb) in which face-to-face contacts are replaced by minimally 50% online contacts over the duration of intervention was developed during the Covid-19 pandemic. The current study will investigate whether FASTb is equally effective as FASTr, and through which mechanisms of change, for whom, and under which conditions FASTr and FASTb work.MethodsA randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be carried out. Participants (N = 200) will be randomly assigned to FASTb (n = 100) or FASTr (n = 100). Data collection will consist of self-report questionnaires and case file analysis, and include a pre-test at the start of the intervention, a post-test immediately after the intervention, and a six month follow-up. Mechanisms of change will be investigated using monthly questionnaires of key variables during treatment. Official recidivism data will be collected at two-year follow-up.DiscussionThis study aims to improve the effectiveness and quality of forensic mental health care for juveniles with antisocial behavior by studying the effectiveness of blended care, which has not been studied before in treatment of externalizing behavior. If found to be at least as effective as face-to-face treatment, blended treatment can help meet the urgent need for more flexible and efficient interventions in this field. In addition, the proposed study aims to unravel what works for whom, knowledge urgently needed in mental health care for juveniles with severe antisocial behavior.Trial registrationThis trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on 07/11/2022, registration number NCT05606978.

The Development and Validation of the Adult Dynamic Validated Instrument for Sex Offense Recidivism (ADVISOR)

This study describes the development and validation of the Adult Dynamic Validated Instrument for Sex Offense Recidivism (ADVISOR), which is designed to predict two types of recidivism—repeat sexual offending and failure to register (FTR)—specific to people convicted of sex offenses. Developed and internally validated on more than 40,000 men and women convicted of sex offenses who had been released from prison, the ADVISOR had adequate predictive performance, achieving an AUC of 0.71 for sex offense recidivism and 0.73 for FTR recidivism. The ADVISOR performed especially well for females for sex offense recidivism, obtaining an AUC of 0.78 in the internal validation and an AUC of 0.82 in the external validation.

Recidivism among People Convicted of Gun Offenses: A Call to Better Leverage Reentry Resources to Decrease Gun Violence

This study provides a primary step towards exploring whether rehabilitation efforts informed by the risk, needs, responsivity approach should be leveraged to decrease gun violence. Through the use of competing risks survival analyses, we assess the gun offense recidivism patterns of people released from prison that do (n = 1,158) and do not (n = 9,868) have gun crime conviction histories. We then explore whether gun offense recidivism increases along with actuarially based risk, how gun offense histories impact the odds of receiving community-based programming during the transition from prison to the community, and, in turn, whether programming impacts gun offending recidivism. Findings indicate that people with a history of gun offense convictions are at more than twice the hazard of committing gun offenses than similarly situated people without such histories. Predicted subhazards of recidivism and magnitudes of differences between offense history groups increase substantially as actuarially assessed risk for recidivism increases. However, predicted probabilities of receipt of community-based programming do not significantly differ between the groups with and without gun offense histories, and recidivism hazards did not meaningfully differ between those that do and do not receive community-based programs despite their gun offending histories. The results illuminate a need to expand reentry-based services towards addressing the criminogenic needs of people previously convicted of gun offenses.

Current Perspectives on Pornography Use by Individuals Convicted of a Sexual Offense.

This review examines the literature on the impact of pornography use by individuals convicted of sexual offenses; specifically, it highlights relevant research regarding the effect pornography use has on sexual offense recidivism and explores the implications for treatment and supervision. The current literature suggests that the use of pornography, by itself, does not consistently increase risk for sexual recidivism. Research suggests that pornography use may increase risk for sexual recidivism among adult males who have been assessed as high-risk, while the same cannot be said for low-risk adult males. Pornography may reinforce attitudes supportive of sexual aggression, such as hostility and sexual preoccupation, both variables that have been shown to relate to further acts of sexual offending. Pornography use is more predictive of risk when matched to the type of offense. The extent to which pornography impacts the conceptualization of risk (and therefore treatment and supervision plans) depends on several factors such as the type of pornographic material viewed, the congruence of that material with the individual's offending history, and the expectations regarding the use of pornography within the treatment/supervision context.

Hospitality education in New Zealand prisons

Hospitality education in New Zealand prisons

Breaking the chains? The effects of training a shelter dog in prison on criminal behavior and recidivism

The effectiveness of Dutch Cell Dogs (DCD), a prison-based dog training program, in reducing criminal behavior and recidivism was assessed in a quasi-experimental study in twelve correctional facilities in the Netherlands (N = 241). DCD is a program in which incarcerated offenders train a shelter dog bi-weekly for eight weeks. Results demonstrated that DCD (n = 121) did not outperform treatment-as-usual (TAU; n = 120) in official recidivism outcomes and self-reported criminal behavior. However, subgroups based on age and detainees’ functioning responded differently in self-reported criminal behavior. Positive effects were found on self-reported criminal behavior for DCD participants who were older, had lower callous-unemotional traits, or had higher treatment motivation. In conclusion, findings provided initial evidence that subgroups may respond differently to a dog training program, however, more experimental research with larger sample sizes is needed.

Balancing Political and Criminogenic Needs: Evaluating the New Zealand Department of Corrections' Response to Men Assessed With a Below Average Risk for Sexual Recidivism.

Current research provides little evidence for the effectiveness of treatment in reducing sexual offence recidivism amongst low-risk populations. However, in real-world correctional settings, program delivery rarely occurs in a vacuum, treatment may be politically mandated and unidimensional measures of program success may preclude recognition of broader benefits. The current study investigated the effectiveness of a low-intensity treatment program, both in terms of participants' recidivism outcomes and in terms of broader organizational/systems impacts. The results demonstrated low base rate recidivism across both program participants (n = 311) and a comparison group of men who were assessed as demonstrating similar static sexual offence recidivism risk (n = 391), and little evidence of reduced recidivism following treatment. However, program administration led to many potential participants being identified as demonstrating higher levels of dynamic risk and overridden to more intensive treatment options (n = 101). Given evidence that such options do effectively reduce recidivism in higher risk populations, these findings may suggest an overall positive net effect.

Community sanctions in youth justice compared to other youth crime responses: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis examines the official recidivism effects of two types of community sanctions in youth justice, namely community service and behavioural intervention programmes. Two analyses were conducted: a comparison between the effects of community sanctions and custodial sanctions, versus a comparison between the effects of community sanctions and dismissals. Following a systematic literature search, data extraction and analysis, mean effect sizes were calculated utilizing (log) odds ratio as the main effect measure. To explore heterogeneity, a meta-regression was conducted with four moderator variables: methodological rigour, referral stage, main focus of sanction and sample risk level. The hypotheses were that recidivism would be significantly lower for delinquent youth subject to community sanctions compared with those subject to custodial sanctions, but that differences in recidivism between delinquent youth subject to community sanctions versus dismissals would be insignificant. In total, 23 studies were deemed eligible for inclusion ( Ncust = 7, Ndism = 16). Final results were in favour of the hypotheses, namely, significantly lower recidivism rates for community sanctions compared with custodial sanctions, and no significant differences for community sanctions compared with dismissals. For both comparisons, the 95% confidence interval indicated the effects varied from just below zero to substantially in favour of community sanctions. Finally, moderator analysis revealed that studies of lower methodological quality and mixed referral stages were more likely to report larger effect sizes.

Gender Differences in Substance Abuse History and Offending Behavior: A Multicentre Study in Dutch Forensic Psychiatry

ABSTRACT Substance abuse is an important risk factor for offending, but is mostly studied in males. The aim of this multicentre study is to gain insight into possible gender differences in substance abuse history and offending behavior in forensic psychiatric patients. Files were analyzed of 275 women and 275 matched men who have been admitted between 1984 and 2014 to one of four Dutch gender-mixed forensic hospitals. Risk assessment ratings were related to registered violent incidents during treatment for both women and men and to official recidivism data after discharge for a subgroup of 78 women. Substance abuse history was coded as a risk factor for more than half of the women (56.7%), but significantly more often for men (68.4%). Men were more often diagnosed with substance dependence and more frequently committed the index-offense whilst intoxicated. Prediction of violent incidents during treatment was more accurate for men. A history of substance abuse was not a significant predictor for recidivism after discharge in the subgroup women. It is concluded that there are gender differences in substance abuse history and that the relationship with offending behavior seems stronger for men. These differences have implications for substance use treatment in forensic mental health services.

Processing of emotional faces in sexual offenders with and without child victims: An eye-tracking study with pupillometry

Socio-affective dysfunction is a risk-factor for sexual offense recidivism. However, it remains unknown whether men who have sexually offended with and without child victims show differences in eye scan paths and autonomic responsivity while viewing facial expressions of emotion. We examined differences in accuracy of emotion recognition, eye movements, and pupil dilation responses between sex offenders with child victims, sex offenders without child victims, and a group of non-offenders living in the community. Sex offenders without child victims looked for longer at the eyes than sex offenders with child victims and non-offenders. Men without child victims also scored higher for psychopathy linked disinhibition, and these traits were associated with looking longer at the eyes of afraid faces. We found no evidence for group differences in accuracy, visual attention to the mouth, or pupil dilation responses. Our findings have implications for understanding the nature of socio-affective dysfunction in sexual offenders.

Examining factors associated with postintervention recidivism in DUI repeat offenders after alcohol treatment: One-year follow-up study

Taiwan has deemed driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) to be criminal, and offenders are subjected to fines and jail penalties without being offered alcohol-related treatment, although alcohol use problems are prevalent in this population. We followed the recidivism records of DUI repeat offenders for one year after they had received a newly established legal-medical joint intervention program for alcohol treatment and examined factors related to postintervention recidivism. In this study, 231 DUI repeat offenders with alcohol use problems screened out by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test were referred from the prosecutors' office to one psychiatric hospital for SBIRT-based alcohol treatment. We divided the participants into two groups based on the official recidivism records within the year following the end of treatment. The study used a Cox proportional hazards model to examine the hazard ratio of the baseline clinical characteristics and intervention duration for post-treatment recidivism. The study used generalized estimation equation models to examine changes in psychological symptoms and drinking behaviors over time. We found that participants who recidivated in the next year after intervention did not differ from those without recidivism records in all measurements except for the length of duration they stayed in treatment. Survival analysis determined that participants who had received the intervention for >4 months showed significantly lower rates of one-year postintervention recidivism rates The study participants showed improved psychological symptoms and drinking behaviors during the follow-up period. In conclusion, adequate duration of alcohol treatment is a significant factor associated with a lower risk of postintervention recidivism. The results provide some insight into the design of a collaborative program between legal and medical systems to reduce DUI recidivism and improve mental health of DUI repeat offenders.

Criminal recidivism and psychosocial adversity in offense-related subtypes of sexually abusive adolescents

ABSTRACT Criminal behaviours vary significantly among juveniles who have sexually offended (JSOs). Offense-related subtypes may differ in criminal persistence and inform clinical practice. In the present study, Latent Class Analysis empirically derived four distinct JSO subtypes based on 10 offense/victim characteristics in a comprehensive sample of 670 JSOs (M age = 14.49, SD age = 1.94): a severe peer/adult-offender subtype (22.4%), a child-offender subtype (30.1%), a touch-offender subtype (27.9%), and a verbal/online-offender subtype (19.6%). Cox regressions indicated that JSOs of the severe peer/adult-offender subtype were at increased risk of sexual and nonsexual criminal recidivism. JSOs of the severe peer/adult-offender subtype as well as the child victim subtype appeared highly burdened with behaviour/social problems and psychosocial adversity/adverse childhood experiences. Our findings show that the variety of offense characteristics, predispositions, and recidivism risks characterising JSOs deserve precise consideration to allow the implementation of effective, individually tailored treatment approaches aimed at reducing future crime.