Principles Of Effective Intervention Research Articles

Intervention Programs for Intimate Partner Violence: Insights From Professionals

This qualitative study explores available intimate partner violence (IPV) intervention programs offered in Saskatchewan, Canada, a province with a substantial rural population and a high rate of IPV. Given these unique circumstances, it was necessary to investigate what IPV interventions are currently available and if professionals who work at these programs feel these programs are effectively meeting the needs of men who have perpetrated IPV and working toward reducing rates of IPV in the province. Interview respondents represented IPV intervention programs based in mental health, community corrections, and community-based organizations. Taken together, information shared by the professionals who work at these IPV intervention programs provides an overview of the current state of intervention programs offered in Saskatchewan, including the extent to which interventions align with the Principles of Effective Intervention (PEI). Findings include differences in the delivery of IPV interventions in rural communities and highlight challenges in delivering group interventions for clients who perpetrate different types of IPV, have different criminogenic needs, and have varying levels of risk. Findings inform recommendations for policy and practice, including the need for training for IPV intervention professionals, increased public awareness about IPV interventions, and incorporation of the PEI. Findings also inform recommendations for research, including longitudinal evaluations of outcomes for participants from various programs that incorporate data from multiple sources.

Rethinking Community Corrections

ABSTRACT Over the past four decades, the field of community corrections has evolved considerably. The “tough on crime” movement of the 1980s propelled an increase across the board in justice-involved populations, one that has seen a slow descent in the last 13 years. This essay will trace the work of Edward J. Latessa – a scholar whose work helped redefine the field of community corrections. Ed’s mission has been to help agencies apply scientific knowledge to everyday practices by operationalizing the principles of effective intervention into practical strategies agencies can employ. He has accomplished this by producing work that has been pragmatic, evolving, and accessible to practitioners and policymakers. This essay explores the mechanisms Ed has used to help change the field of community corrections from one focused on monitoring and sanctioning, to using research-supported rehabilitative practices.

Integrating ‘Principles of Effective Intervention’ into Domestic Violence Intervention Programs: New Opportunities for Change and Collaboration

Several evaluations and meta-analytic reviews have suggested that domestic violence (DV) treatment programs have only a modest impact on reducing DV recidivism. In response, a growing number of scholars and practitioners have called for the integration of evidence-based practices into DV treatment programming. In recent years, one leading approach has been to explore the infusion of the ‘principles of effective intervention (PEI),’ the prevailing evidence- based practice in correctional programming, into DV treatment. Findings from initial empirical studies from scholars and practitioners working to infuse the PEI into DV treatment programs have shown promise. This article provides an overview of the PEI and research exploring the integration of the PEI into DV treatment; a discussion on how these research findings can inform DV treatment programs interested in adopting a PEI framework; and practitioners’ perspectives on implementing programmatic changes and collaborating on evaluation research while also continuing to provide DV treatment.

International expert perspectives on the principles and components of effective intervention for adults who stutter.

While evidence-based practice is widely endorsed by researchers, clinicians and professional bodies as a guiding framework for the provision of quality care to clients, the reliance on efficacy evidence may overshadow the benefits of other knowledge forms in supporting intervention design and evaluation. Due consideration needs to be given to varied forms of evidence, including practice and patient evidence. Stuttering intervention for adults is one area in which there is a significant shortage of practice-based research literature. This study aimed to add to practice evidence by exploring the perspectives of international researchers and clinical experts on the components of effective stuttering intervention. This practice-based evidence will be used to inform the multi-stakeholder co-design of an evidence-based stuttering intervention for adults. Criteria defining expertise were developed based on a review of the literature. Experts were recruited using purposive sampling and snowballing. Seventeen international experts were approached, of which 10 completed semi-structured interviews. Interview questions were developed and centred on five topics: the nature of stuttering; efficacy evidence base; intervention techniques, principles of effective intervention; and outcome measurement. Inductive thematic analysis identified three overarching themes: 'One size doesn't fit all', 'A really collaborative relationship where we are both bringing our sense of expertise to this' and 'Some of the most frustrating things'. These findings emphasize the complexity of stuttering intervention, the need for individually tailored treatments and the role of multiple factors, beyond therapeutic technique, that influence treatment outcomes. Findings also demonstrate the benefit of collecting practice-based evidence to support clinical decision-making and intervention evaluation. What this paper adds What is already known on the subject Evidence-based practice involves the synthesis of multiple forms of knowledge, including research, practice and patient evidence to support clinical decision-making and intervention evaluation. Research evidence for stuttering intervention effectiveness is the dominant form of knowledge in stuttering literature, while other forms such as practice and patient evidence are less represented. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This study provides valuable practice evidence for effective stuttering intervention components, including individually tailored intervention, person-related factors and therapeutic alliance. It highlights the need to consider multiple forms of knowledge to guide the design and evaluation of intervention. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Clinicians should adopt a person-centred care approach when designing and evaluating an intervention for adults who stutter. Multiple factors beyond therapeutic technique influence treatment outcomes and should be incorporated into any intervention for adults who stutter.

Domestic Violence Treatment in Colorado: An Overview of an Evidence-Based Approach

In 2010, the State of Colorado revised its state standards to create consistency across the state for its domestic violence (DV) cases by placing emphasis on the integration of evidence-based practices into its DV treatment programming. Since then, Colorado has established a three-tiered differential treatment model informed by the principles of effective intervention (PEI), an evidence-based framework found in correctional programming. This article reviews the PEI framework, outlines the emerging research that explores the principles among DV offenders and their treatment, and provides an overview of Colorado's differentiated DV treatment model. Policy and research considerations are also discussed.

Adherence to “What Works”: Examining Trends across 14 Years of Correctional Program Assessment

ABSTRACT The “what works” movement has increasingly gained recognition among correctional practitioners and traction within correctional settings. It is now well established that in order to obtain meaningful recidivism reductions, programs must maintain fidelity to the principles of effective interventions. After more than four decades of research supporting the Risk-Need-Responsivity model, little is presently known about how well correctional programs have adopted and implemented evidence-based correctional practices on a larger scale. The current study examines the results from an extensive collection of correctional program assessments completed across the United States over the course of 14 years. Results offer practitioners and researchers insight into the current state of fidelity to evidence-based practices and highlight areas for improvement in correctional programming.

Cross National Collaboration in Implementing Evidence-based Practices

ABSTRACT There is an abundance of literature describing the current status of corrections around the world, particularly in the United States with its overcrowded prisons, high recidivism rates, and policy evaluations. Efforts to implement best practices and reduce institutional populations by shifting offender sentencing and resources to community programs are also prevalent. What is less documented are efforts to translate evidence-based practices across international borders through cross-national collaborations. Intuitively, best practices should translate across human-defined borders because intervening in human behavior should not change based on different legal codes. This paper summarizes the efforts of the University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute (UCCI) and Alberta’s Correctional Services Division to shift an agency’s paradigm of working with offenders, redesign provincial probation operations to establish adherence to the principles of effective intervention, and to cross nationally train and coach probation officers in the Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS) model. Successes and challenges of implementing the model and of the collaboration are presented so that corrections professionals and researchers have a point of reference for future cross-national collaborations, implementation efforts, and training initiatives.

Determining Batterer Intervention Program Treatment Intensities: An Illustration Using the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment

To incorporate evidence-based practices into batterer intervention programs (BIPs), some intimate partner violence (IPV) researchers have begun to explore the integration of the principles of effective intervention (PEI) into BIPs. The PEI risk principle states that programs should assess offenders' risk for recidivism, and then match offenders' risk levels to the intensity of treatment and other interventions. Therefore, this study demonstrates how BIPs can use the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) to guide treatment intensity decisions for IPV offenders. Using data from men with criminal charges for IPV incidents in the original ODARA construction and validation research (N = 970), we illustrate how low, medium, and high categories can be created and used to inform BIP treatment intensity decisions (as outlined by the risk principle). Results indicate the ODARA can be used to inform a three-tiered categorical system for BIPs, in accordance with the risk principle of the PEI. Study results provide an avenue for BIP service providers to consider when determining treatment intensity for its IPV offenders. Suggestions for future research are also provided.

The Risk-Need-Responsivity Model Revisited: Using Biosocial Criminology to Enhance Offender Rehabilitation

During the past four decades, researchers and practitioners working in corrections have shifted from a “nothing works” to a “what works” orientation. Emphasizing the importance of adopting evidence-based interventions, Andrews and Bonta have argued that efforts to rehabilitate offenders should adhere to a number of specified principles of effective intervention, three of which—risk, need, and responsivity—are considered the most critical. These principles were derived from Andrews and Bonta’s theory of the psychology of criminal conduct, which underscores the necessity to link correctional practice to empirically defensible theories of offending. The vast majority of research has provided evidence of the effectiveness of the risk-need-responsivity model; however, far less attention has been given to expanding its theoretical foundation. Given the wealth of evidence supporting biosocial explanations of criminal behavior, we consider potential avenues for enhancing the risk-need-responsivity model through the integration of key findings from biosocial research.

Tracing the Rise of Evidence-Based Juvenile Justice in Florida

ABSTRACTThe movement toward evidence-based practice in juvenile justice has encouraged a research-informed approach that prioritizes the principles of effective intervention. And yet the shifts in this direction have been uneven across different states. This pattern underscores the value of state-level case studies for understanding the pace and nature of juvenile justice reform in recent decades. The authors provide such a study for the state of Florida. They begin in 1994 with the creation of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. The authors describe the unique history in these early years and identify the political and cultural factors that variously encouraged and constrained evidence-based reform. They then describe the resulting system that pervades today. The authors emphasize four key elements that define the current operation of Florida juvenile justice. They conclude by situating Florida’s shifts within the broader dialogue on evidence-based practice in U.S. juvenile justice.

“Juvenile Drug Courts and Recidivism: Results from a Multisite Outcome Study”

This study reports findings from a study of nine juvenile drug courts (JDCs) from across the US. A quasi-experimental design, with one-to-one matching on possible confounders and sociodemographics, was used for the outcome assessment (n = 1372). Baseline and outcome data were drawn from justice system records. Although there is variation across sites and, to some extent, outcomes, these JDCs were generally ineffective in reducing recidivism. Similar findings have emerged in other recent studies of JDCs. Given the results of this study and others, it is essential that juvenile courts work to improve the effectiveness of JDCs by increasing adherence to known principles of effective intervention.

Justice Reinvestment in the United States: An Empirical Assessment of the Potential Impact of Increased Correctional Programming on Recidivism

Recent efforts in justice reinvestment in the United States have echoed the importance of using evidence-based practices. Legislative initiatives support the expansion of these practices and related programming to a broader array of correctional populations and settings. But the efforts to date are likely to have limited success altering the outcomes from the use of incarceration unless more attention is paid to the principles of effective interventions and access to efficacious treatment services. The most comprehensive survey of services, conducted in 2005–2006, found that less than 10% of offenders can participate in treatment services on a given day. Two simulation models are reported in this paper that demonstrate different impacts from increasing the number and type of programs offered within correctional and community correctional settings: expanding access and participation rates in programs can yield reductions in recidivism, adding treatment matching will accelerate the recidivism reduction, and by offering risk-need-responsivity (RNR) programming the reincarceration rate can be reduced by 3–6%. This paper offers four measures that can be used to gauge performance of systems undergoing justice reinvestment initiatives. Expanding correctional programming is an important, if not essential, component of undoing the impact of mass incarceration policies.

Developing social and emotional aspects of learning: the American experience

Developments in American policy, research and professional development to promote social and emotional learning in schools have drawn on work carried out by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), encouraged by the popular and political catalyst of Daniel Goleman’s work on emotional intelligence. Based on CASEL’s exploration and articulation of the implications of emotional intelligence for schools, this article defines ‘social and emotional learning’ as part of character development and draws on empirical studies of successful implementation to outline principles of effective intervention. In a context where, despite political rhetoric about a flourishing and progressive education system, a seemingly intractable achievement gap affects particular social and ethnic groups, the article evaluates key influences and ongoing barriers to successful realisation of the goals of social and emotional learning in American schools.

The Importance of Ecological Context for Correctional Rehabilitation Programs: Understanding the Micro- and Macro-Level Dimensions of Successful Offender Treatment

The resurgence of support for offender rehabilitation has led to an increased emphasis on correctional program integrity. Treatment programs are now being evaluated and tailored in accordance with the principles of effective intervention, which are rooted primarily in methods of individual behavior modification through a social learning approach. The problem with this exclusive focus on the individual is that it fails to recognize the importance of certain ecological factors that have been shown to be significant predictors of recidivism. The purpose of the current research, therefore, is to examine the impact of structural characteristics on both treatment program quality and effectiveness of halfway house programs in Ohio. Our results reveal that ecological context influences the magnitude of program treatment effects largely indirectly though its influence on program quality. The implications of these findings for correctional theory and practice are discussed.

Beyond Boston

Focused deterrence initiatives, including the most famous, Boston’s Operation Ceasefire, have been associated with significant reductions in violence in several U.S. cities. Despite early successes, some cities have experienced long-term sustainability issues. Recent work in Cincinnati, Ohio, has focused on institutionalizing focused deterrence in an attempt to achieve sustainability. Despite these efforts, it became apparent that institutionalization was necessary, but insufficient, to achieve long-term success. This study turns to criminological theory to understand why focused deterrence works and how the model can be improved to maximize crime prevention potential. In doing so, the authors draw from the principles of effective intervention from correctional rehabilitation research and describe how these elements have been integrated into the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence.

Can 14,737 women be wrong? A meta‐analysis of the LSI‐R and recidivism for female offenders*

Research Summary Over the past two decades, researchers have been increasingly interested in measuring the risk of offender recidivism as a means of advancing public safety and of directing treatment interventions. In this context, one instrument widely used in assessing offenders is the Level of Service Inventory‐Revised (LSI‐R). Recently, however, the LSI‐R has been criticized for being a male‐specific assessment instrument that is a weak predictor of criminal behavior in females. Through the use of meta‐analytic techniques, we assessed this assertion. A total of 27 effect sizes yielded an average r value of .35 ([confidence interval] CI = .34 to .36) for the relationship of the LSI‐R with recidivism for female offenders (N= 14,737). When available, we also made within‐sample comparisons based on gender. These comparisons produced effect sizes for males and females that were statistically similar. Policy Implications These results are consistent with those generated in previous research on the LSI‐R. They call into question prevailing critiques that the LSI‐R has predictive validity for male but not for female offenders. At this stage, it seems that corrections officials should be advised that the LSI‐R remains an important instrument for assessing all offenders as a prelude to the delivery of treatment services, especially those based on the principles of effective intervention. Critics should be encouraged, however, to construct and validate through research additional gender‐specific instruments that revise, if not rival, the LSI‐R.

Intensive Intervention for Students with Mathematics Disabilities: Seven Principles of Effective Practice

The focus of this article is intervention for third - grade students with serious mathematics deficits at third grade. In third grade, such deficits are clearly established, and identification of mathematics disabilities typically begins. We provide background information on two aspects of mathematical cognition that present major challenges for students in the primary grades: number combinations and story problems. We then focus on seven principles of effective intervention. First, we describe a validated, intensive remedial intervention for number combinations and another for story problems. Then, we use these interventions to illustrate the first six principles for designing intensive tutoring protocols for students with mathematics disabilities. Next, using the same validated interventions, we report the percentage of students whose learning outcomes were inadequate despite the overall efficacy of the interventions and explain how ongoing progress monitoring represents a seventh, and perhaps the most essential, principle of intensive intervention. We conclude by identifying issues and directions for future research in the primary and later grades.

THE TWELVE PEOPLE WHO SAVED REHABILITATION: HOW THE SCIENCE OF CRIMINOLOGY MADE A DIFFERENCE

Three decades ago, it was widely believed by criminologists and policymakers that “nothing works” to reform offenders and that “rehabilitation is dead” as a guiding correctional philosophy. By contrast, today there is a vibrant movement to reaffirm rehabilitation and to implement programs based on the principles of effective intervention. How did this happen? I contend that the saving of rehabilitation was a contingent reality that emerged due to the efforts of a small group of loosely coupled research criminologists. These scholars rejected the “nothing works” professional ideology and instead used rigorous science to show that popular punitive interventions were ineffective, that offenders were not beyond redemption, and that treatment programs rooted in criminological knowledge were capable of meaningfully reducing recidivism. Their story is a reminder that, under certain conditions, the science of criminology is capable of making an important difference in the correctional enterprise, if not far beyond.

Linking Process and Outcomes in Evaluating a Statewide Drug Treatment Program for Youthful Offenders

Considerable attention recently has been given to the principles of effective intervention and their importance for reducing recidivism. By contrast, much less attention has been given to youth performance while in treatment or to program implementation, yet both are critical factors that also can affect recidivism. Using data on youthful offenders in the Texas Youth Commission (TYC), the authors examine rearrest patterns for youths in TYC's Chemical Dependency Treatment Program. Analyses focus on treatment performance and program implementation and their impact on rearrest, net of demographic, risk, and need factors. Policy and research implications of these analyses are discussed.

Making the Next Step: Using Evaluability Assessment to Improve Correctional Programming

The research on what works in correctional interventions provides a powerful agenda for correctional programming. Evaluability assessment is a tool that can be used to help put this research into practice by providing a measure of program quality. This article describes Gendreau and Andrews's Correctional Program Assessment Inventory (CPAI) as one example of an evaluability assessment tool that is designed to ascertain how well programs are meeting certain principles of effective intervention. It also reports the results of CPAIs conducted on 86 treatment programs. The results indicate that these programs are not adequately incorporating the principles into their correctional programming. Common shortcomings are discussed, and potential resolutions are offered.