Outcomes For Offenders Research Articles

Decide Your Time

Research SummaryThis study used a randomized controlled trial approach with a sample of 400 high‐risk probationers to test the hypothesis that a program incorporating principles of deterrence, graduated sanctions, and coerced abstinence would reduce recidivism rates among drug‐using offenders. Bivariate and multilevel modeling strategies were implemented. Findings revealed no discernable difference across multiple drug use, probationary, and recidivism measures between those randomized into the treatment condition and those receiving standard probation. In multivariate models, probationer age, employment status, and treatment participation improved some recidivism outcomes. Programmatic and sample characteristics are discussed regarding the lack of experimental effect.Policy ImplicationsThese findings suggest that in designing and implementing deterrence‐informed community supervision approaches, policy makers and practitioners should consider offender attributes, the addition of employment and treatment‐based programs and supports, and local justice system structures. The findings of this study fit well with other emerging models of offender supervision, in particular, those that match services and programs based on offender risks and needs and those that recognize and address the heterogeneity of the offender population in developing supervision and service plans. Swift, certain, and fair supervision approaches for individuals under community supervision do not seem to be a “one‐size‐fits‐all” strategy. Understanding for whom they work and under what conditions has not yet been determined. In the meantime, policy makers and practitioners should endeavor to understand the risks and needs of their local offender population and the community supports that are available to improve offender outcomes and increase public safety.

Comparison of arousal and preference assessment outcomes for sex offenders with intellectual disabilities.

We compared outcomes of arousal and preference assessments for five adult male alleged sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities. Arousal assessments involved the use of the penile plethysmograph to measure changes in penile circumference to both deviant (males and females under the age of 18) and nondeviant (males and females over the age of 18) video clips. Paired-stimulus preference assessments were arranged to present still images from the video clips used in the arousal assessments. Results showed correspondence between the assessments for four out of the five participants. Implications are discussed for the use of preference assessment methodology as a less intrusive assessment approach for sexual offender assessments.

Examination of long-term postrelease outcomes of juvenile homicide offenders

ABSTRACTHomicide by juveniles, a matter of serious concern in the United States since the 1980s, remains a pressing issue due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. The present study explored long-term recidivism in a sample of 59 male juvenile homicide offenders sentenced to adult prison for murder or attempted murder in the early 1980s. The results indicated that nearly 90% of released offenders were rearrested during the 30-year follow-up period. More than 60% were rearrested for violent offenses. Race and time served were found to be significantly related to postrelease violence. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Treating Dually Diagnosed Offenders in Rural Settings: Profile of the Middle Tennessee Rural Reentry Program

There has been a proliferation of offender reentry programs since the passage of the Second Chance Act in 2008, including an unprecedented expansion of treatment services into underserved rural areas. Review of Second Chance Act programming and observation of unmet mental health and substance abuse needs in justice settings contextualizes description of the Middle Tennessee Rural Reentry Program, a U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance funded intervention. The program targeted 209 adult female and male higher risk offenders that were dually diagnosed with mental health and substance abuse disorders for evidence based cognitive behavioral change oriented therapeutic treatment. While offender outcome indicators (recidivism and relapse) suggested program impact, barriers to implementing, delivering, and evaluating reentry programming in rural areas were also identified and orient discussion around evidence based demonstration and replication.

Does the Victim-Offender Relationship Matter? Exploring the Sentencing of Female Homicide Offenders.

Empirical research pertaining to sentencing of homicide offenders has been restricted almost exclusively to samples of male offenders in the United States. To fill this void in international research and to explore questions regarding the treatment of female homicide offenders further, we examined the extent to which victim-offender relationships and motives independently affect the length of sentences imposed by analyzing a nationally representative sample of female offenders adjudicated guilty of homicide in South Korea, over the period 1986-2013. In contrast to previous studies conducted in Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States, the current study found that the victim-offender relationship has no affect on sentence lengths. Rather, the most significant predictor for the sentence lengths of the female homicide offenders was the motive for killing. We discuss future directions for international comparative research on the roles of victim-offender relationships and motives in sentencing outcomes of female offenders.

A Latent Class Analysis of Family Characteristics Linked to Youth Offending Outcomes.

Objectives:There were two aims to this study: firstly, to identify family subtypes of Singaporean youth offenders based on eight family variables. Secondly, the associations of these family subtypes with youth offending outcomes were tested.Methods:With a sample of 3,744 youth, a latent class analysis was first conducted based on eight family variables. Multivariate analyses and a Cox regression were subsequently performed to analyze the associations of the family classes with age at first arrest, age at first charge, and recidivism.Results:A three-class solution was found to have the best fit to the data: (1) intact functioning families had little family risk; (2) families with criminality had higher probabilities of family criminality, of drug/alcohol abuse, and of being nonintact; and (3) poorly managed families received the poorest parenting and were more likely to be nonintact. Youth offenders from the latter two classes were arrested and charged at younger ages. Additionally, they reoffended at a quicker rate.Conclusions:Family backgrounds matter for youth offending outcomes. Interventions have to be multifaceted and targeted at the family in order to mitigate the risk of young offenders from developing into pathological adult criminals.

The Effects of Prison Visits From Family Members on Prisoners’ Well-Being, Prison Rule Breaking, and Recidivism

The effect of family visits on prisoner well-being and future behavior is an important consideration in the development of prison policy. This review systematically examines current research findings that explore the impact of prison visits from family members on three specific offender outcomes: prisoners’ well-being, rule breaking within the prison, and recidivism. The review focuses on visits by family and does not duplicate earlier reviews but rather extends them into current literature, through identification of empirical studies conducted post 1989, published since 1991. Ten studies met the stipulated inclusion criteria. All are case–control and cohort studies. The review of studies used a standardized quality assessment tool. Results show considerable variation in study quality, methods, and findings. However, studies consistently reported positive effects of prisoners receiving visits. Prison visits reduced depressive symptoms in women and adolescent prisoners. There was some evidence of reduction in rule-breaking behavior. One high-quality study suggested that visits reduced recidivism and increased survival in the community. Although there were positive outcomes associated with prison visits, it was not possible to draw strong conclusions for the outcomes of interest due to a lack of research, methodological discrepancies, and variability in outcome measures and results. The discussion considers the implications of the findings for policy, practice, and research.

The hazards of premature release: Recidivism outcomes of blended-sentenced juvenile homicide offenders

PurposeThis study explored the deep-end juvenile sentencing structure of blended sentencing by examining correlates – pre-incarceration social and delinquent backgrounds and institutional behavior outcomes – of serious recidivism among a large sample of juvenile homicide offenders. MethodsThis study reports on the ten-year survival analysis of 221 juvenile homicide offenders committed to juvenile incarceration under Texas' blended sentencing structure. Serious recidivism was operationalized as a felony arrest and the Royston–Parmar model clustered the resulting coefficients by subjects' race classifications. ResultsThe majority of juvenile homicide offenders were rearrested for a felony offense within 10years post-incarceration. Net a number of control variables, three institutional metrics significantly increased the risk of felony recidivism among the cohort of juvenile homicide offenders. A history of assaultive behavior toward correctional staff and elevated observed program disruption scores correlated with greater recidivism risk, while longer time incarcerated was correlated with lower risks of recidivism. ConclusionsFindings reported here suggest a degree of continuity between institutional behavior and recidivism outcomes among these young adult offenders. The insulating effects of longer incarceration periods against serious recidivism and diminished recidivism risk during the final years of the study provide the basis for theoretical and policy implications.

The impact of a community mental health initiative on outcomes for offenders with a serious mental disorder.

The Community Mental Health Initiative (CMHI) is mandated to assist offenders with serious mental disorders in their transition from institutions to the community, but this incorporates different styles of service. An important unanswered question is whether these are equivalent. Our aim was to compare outcomes for different intervention styles within the CMHI, a programme for serious offenders in prison who also have at least one major mental disorder. Our specific research questions were as follows: do outcomes differ according to whether offenders with mental health difficulties receive (1) clinical discharge planning only; (2) community mental health services only; (3) the combined services or (4) none, although meeting criteria for any CMHI service? Survival analyses, controlling for variables with a significant effect on recidivism or return to prison, were used to test for differences in recidivism or return to prison rates between the intervention and no-intervention groups during a fixed follow-up period. Men receiving only community mental health services had a significantly lower risk of returning to custody and of recidivism than men receiving discharge planning alone or no community mental health service at all, even after controlling for potential confounders including age, number of previous imprisonments and number of previous community failures. The advantages were apparent within 3-6 months and sustained for up to 4 years. Provision of specialised community mental health services for higher-risk male offenders with a mental disorder may reduce recidivism in the short and longer term - within 3 months and up to 4 years respectively. Statistical modelling also pointed to the need to include treatment for substance abuse and assistance in identifying stable accommodation and brokerage of community services among the interventions and services. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Impact of Vocational Education and Training Programs on Recidivism: A Systematic Review of Current Experimental Evidence.

Although the association between unemployment and offending is well established, relatively little is known about the impact of vocational education and training programs on re-offending, with much of the previous work in this area failing to control for, or correct, selection bias. This article reports the findings of a systematic review, which considers the findings of only those studies that have used experimental or quasi-experimental designs to evaluate vocational training and employment program outcomes for adult offenders. The analysis identifies key features, based on these studies, of those programs associated with the best outcomes and recommends selection criteria for those who are most likely to benefit from prison vocational education and training.

Education for Incarcerated Juveniles: A Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACTBased on screenings of 1,150 manuscripts, we synthesize evidence from 18 eligible studies of educational interventions implemented within juvenile correctional facilities. The studies include 5 intervention categories: remedial academic instruction, computer-assisted instruction, personalized academic instruction, vocational education, and GED completion. Effectiveness is measured in terms of 4 outcomes: academic performance in reading or mathematics, diploma completion, postrelease employment, and postrelease recidivism. Focusing on studies with the strongest basis for causal inference, we find positive and statistically significant effects for computer-assisted instruction in raising reading comprehension, and for personalized learning in improving diploma completion and post-release employment. These findings are driven by large and well-executed randomized trials of Scholastic's Read 180 curriculum and Florida's Avon Park Youth Academy. Despite the limited research base, these studies suggest that it is possible to undertake rigorous research in juvenile facilities about programs that best improve the outcomes of young offenders.

Case formulation quality checklist: a revision based upon clinicians ' views

Purpose – Evaluations of the impact of case formulation on outcomes for offenders are needed. The quality of case formulations may impact on outcomes, hence one essential aspect in outcome evaluation is quality assessment. A case formulation quality checklist (CFQC) was constructed and showed good reliability and internal consistency. However, feedback from users was the CFCQ could be improved. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the opinions of professionals who had used the CFQC to provide a basis for its revision. Design/methodology/approach – This was a qualitative study, in which ten professionals who had used the CFQC were asked their views about it. An inductive thematic analysis was used to organise the data. Findings – Seven themes were identified. First, the importance of assessing quality in case formulation; second, the appropriate and comprehensive content of the CFQC; third, the practicality of the CFQC; fourth, validity and reliability issues; fifth, ways to improve the CFQC; sixth, potential as a training tool; seventh, limitations of the use of the CFQC. The CFQC was revised in light of these comments, producing the CFQC-R. Research limitations/implications – The reliability and consistency of the CFQC-R needs to be examined, as does validity, particularly predictive validity. This information will better enable research into whether case formulation improves outcomes for service users, and whether better quality case formulations lead to greater improvements. Practical implications – The CFQC-R may be of value in training and supervising clinicians in constructing case formulations. Originality/value – The CFQC-R is reproduced here so that researchers and practitioners may use the checklist.

Predictors of punitive attitudes among police officers

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the predictors of punitive attitudes towards young offenders among police officers. This included an examination of variables such as officers’ coping styles, mental health, rank and age. It was predicted that indirect coping styles, mental health difficulties, higher age and higher rank would negatively impact on punitive attitudes towards young offenders. Officers reporting direct coping strategies, low levels of mental health difficulties, lower rank and lower age were expected to have less punitive and more rehabilitative attitudes towards young offenders.Design/methodology/approach– A sample of 83 police officers and community support officers from the UK completed standardised self-report measures.Findings– Indirect coping strategies, high levels of mental health difficulties and high rank were all associated with more punitive attitudes, whilst age had no impact.Research limitations/implications– Results are discussed with regard to their research and real world implications. These include an impact of these findings on the job performance, community safety, approaches to policing, and the well-being of police officers. The importance of mental well-being, direct coping and positive attitudes towards young offenders is indicated in order for police officers to employ more proactive, consistent and fair behaviour with this group, leading to less punitive outcomes for young offenders, as well as improved police-youth relations.Originality/value– The research findings link mental health, coping styles and rank to officers’ attitudes towards young offenders, which had not been fully examined in the literature previously. Results suggest that mental well-being and direct coping styles may serve as a protective factor against the development of punitive attitudes. This highlights the importance of providing support for mental well-being, as well as training in the areas of effective coping styles and issues surrounding young offenders.

Dual Trajectories of Gang Affiliation and Delinquent Peer Association During Adolescence: An Examination of Long-Term Offending Outcomes

Prior research has demonstrated that both adolescent gang affiliation and perceived delinquent peer association are important predictors of individual offending. A crucial question is whether and how youth gang affiliation contributes to a spectrum of criminal acts above and beyond the influence of associating with delinquent peers. Using 14 waves of data from the Rochester Youth Developmental Study, an ongoing longitudinal panel study aimed at understanding the causes and consequences of delinquency and drug use in an urban sample of adolescents, the current study employs a relatively new modeling technique-dual trajectory analysis-to illustrate the dynamic relationship between these two measures among 666 male youth. The results suggest that the two measures, while overlapping, may constitute distinct concepts that operate in different ways. The most convincing evidence of gang effects, above and beyond the influence of perceived peer delinquency, is for violent behavior and by extension police arrest. Our findings contribute to developmental research and provide information that informs future gang control efforts.

Avoiding Convictions: Regression Discontinuity Evidence on Court Deferrals for First-Time Drug Offenders

This paper studies the causal impact of court deferrals, a legal strategy to help defendants avoid a felony conviction record, on the future criminal and labor market outcomes of first-time felony drug offenders. To accomplish this, we exploit two natural experiments in Harris County, Texas, in which defendants appearing in court one day versus the next experienced abruptly different likelihoods of deferral. In 1994 deferral rates dropped by 34 percentage points the day following the implementation of a penal code reform; in 2007 deferral rates increased by 22 percentage points the day after the unexpected failure of a ballot initiative to expand the county jail. Using administrative data and local polynomial regression discontinuity methods, we find robust evidence consistent across both experiments that regimes with expanded use of court deferrals generated substantially lower rates of reoffending and unemployment over a five-year follow-up period. Additional analysis delves further into the timing, nature and incidence of these impacts. Together our results suggest that increasing the use of deferral programs may be an attractive and feasible option for a jurisdiction seeking to reduce the fiscal cost and community impact of its criminal justice system.

Evolutionary regression? Assessing the problem of hidden biases in criminal justice applications using propensity scores

Propensity score methods rely on an untestable assumption of unconfoundedness for making causal inference. Yet, empirical applications using propensity scores in criminology routinely invoke this assumption without careful scrutiny. We use a dataset with a wide range of observable, potential confounders, which allows us to evaluate recidivism outcomes for adolescent offenders who are sentenced to either placement or probation. We then systematically withhold important known confounders from the matching process to demonstrate the effectiveness of sensitivity checks in sizing up the robustness of these treatment effect estimates in the case where hidden biases clearly exist. We find important variability in the estimated treatment effect, and a large degree of imbalance in ‘unobserved’ covariates, which we did not explicitly control for. The hidden biases observed in our controlled analysis would have at least been suggested in an actual application by the low gamma statistics that attended our analysis, a statistic that is not reported in most criminological applications of propensity score analysis. Researchers who use propensity score methods should openly discuss potential limitations of their analysis due to hidden bias and report bias sensitivity checks based on the gamma statistic when statistically significant treatment effects are reported.

Effects of gender, rape myth acceptance, and perpetrator occupation on perceptions of rape

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of gender-stereotypical beliefs and associated factors (gender, level of rape myth acceptance (RMA), and occupation) on public attitudes towards rape victims with the aim of establishing whether participant and perpetrator characteristics have effects on individuals’ attitudes towards rape victims. With regards to participants, gender, age, occupation, and the extent to which an individual endorses rape myths were investigated. The authors also considered whether participants’ attitudes were influenced by the occupation of a rapist as described in a vignette looking at occupations deemed to be stereotypically male or female. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 185 individuals participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions based on the rapist’s occupation (stereotypically male occupation, gender-neutral occupation or stereotypically female occupation). Participants completed an online survey consisting of a RMA questionnaire, read a short vignette depicting a rape scenario (where they were also informed of the perpetrator’s occupation) and completed a further questionnaire on their attitudes towards rape victims. Results were examined by regression. Findings – The results indicate that both participant occupation and level of RMA significantly contributed to attitudes towards rape victims, however, a statistically significant effect for rapist occupation was not found. Originality/value – Findings are discussed in terms of implications for individuals working within services supporting victims of rape and the potential consequences of holding stereotypical beliefs for rape victims and perpetrators. It is important that research identifies those factors that might bias decision making in the legal system and thus impact upon outcomes for victims and offenders.

The myriad of challenges with correctional change: From goals to culture

Presently, many correctional organizations seek to change both policy and practice to improve offender outcomes. The occupational roles played by both staff and management represent an imperative part of the change equation. This article provides a historical and scientific overview of the scholarship on occupational roles within correctional agencies discussing how theoretical shifts in ideology impact correctional organizations and how correctional workers think, behave and make decisions regarding the individuals they supervise. We focus on the current shift emphasizing the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs), which presents new challenges for correctional organizations. We present two case examples of EBP implementation; one aiming to shift the correctional culture and communication within a correctional facility and the second focusing on the implementation of contingency management in community corrections settings. This research highlights the challenges associated with change within correctional environments, but also provides promising findings regarding successful implementation of EBPs within correctional organizations.

The Impact of Teen Courts on Youth Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Processing juvenile offenders in the traditional justice system can lead to a range of negative consequences. As an alternative to formal criminal processing, many jurisdictions have begun to implement diversion programs for first-time or low-level offenders. This systematic review sought to summarize evidence of the effectiveness of one commonly used diversion model, Teen Courts, on outcomes for juvenile offenders. Teen Courts were defined as any intervention for youth (ages 10–17) in which the participating offenders’ peers were involved in verdict or sentencing. Final analysis included 22 studies. Among the 15 studies that assessed statistical significance of recidivism, 4 found statistically significant results favoring Teen Courts, 1 found statistically significant results favoring the traditional justice system, and 10 found null results. Most studies provided little detail regarding the structure or approach of Teen Courts under study and varied widely in research design, comparison group, and operationalization of recidivism, making it difficult to compare results. In order to inform decision-making about the use of Teen Courts, additional studies are needed that maximize internal and external validity, consider pathways of intervention effects, and examine potentially differential impacts of the program on participating youth.

Effectively Training Community Supervision Officers

The development and implementation of training programs aimed at increasing community supervision officers’ use of core correctional practices served as the focus of this review. Studies that evaluated the effect that officer training had on offender outcome were included in the review. Based on 10 studies ( N = 8,335), this meta-analysis found that when offenders were supervised by officers who received training in core correctional practices, they demonstrated reductions in recidivism (odds ratio [OR] = 1.48) compared with those offenders supervised by the status quo. The results support further use of such training programs and emphasize the benefit to public safety as well as the fiscal savings that can result from sound implementation. However, this was an initial review, and further research is needed to confirm and extend these findings.