Dana Jones Hubbard

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 Andrewss 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.

A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Thinking for a Change A “Real-World” Application

Due to the popularity of cognitive behavioral interventions, programs that follow this model are often assumed to be effective. Yet evaluations of specific programs have been slow in coming. The current investigation seeks to bridge this gap by evaluating the effectiveness of Thinking for a Change (TFAC), a widely used cognitive behavioral curriculum for offenders. Furthermore, this evaluation provides a “real-world” test of TFAC, because it was implemented by line staff in a community corrections agency as opposed to being a pilot project implemented by program developers. The results of the analyses indicate that offenders participating in the TFAC program had a significantly lower recidivism rate than similar offenders that were not exposed to the program.

The Importance of Responsivity Factors in Predicting Reductions in Antisocial Attitudes and Cognitive Distortions Among Adult Male Offenders

The research has demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral treatment programs for offenders work to reduce recidivism. One reason these programs have been found to be effective is that they target one of the “number one” predictors of crime, antisocial attitudes and values. Unfortunately, these programs may not “work” for all offenders. The literature suggests that personal characteristics of offenders, although not directly related to recidivism, may in fact interfere or hinder the ability for the program to “work.” This is referred to in the literature as the “responsivity principle.” This study seeks to understand the role that personal or responsivity characteristics of offenders play in whether these attitudes and distortions were reduced. This study found that although individual responsivity characteristics alone were not related to whether the program was successful, individuals with a combination of the important responsivity characteristics (e.g., low intelligence, low self-esteem, and history of sexual abuse) were less likely to benefit from the program. In fact, their cognitive distortions were often made worse. Thus, it may be that responsivity should be seen as having a cumulative effect. The more “issues” an offender has, the less likely the treatment will accomplish what it is “supposed to do”—which in this case was to reduce antisocial or cognitive distortions.

The Helping Alliance in Juvenile Probation

Abstract Over the past 20 years, much has been learned about the elements of effective correctional interventions through a body of literature known as “what works.” The primary foci within this literature are assessment, treatment models, and treatment setting. Relatively little is said about the specific knowledge, attitudes and skill sets that correctional staff should possess to be effective change agents, or about the importance of the relationships that form between correctional staff and the offenders they serve. This stands in contrast to the counseling profession, where the therapeutic, or helping, alliance has long been viewed as an intermediate criterion of counseling effectiveness. The purpose of this article is to examine the role of the helping alliance in juvenile probation settings. Strategies for facilitating the development of the helping alliance and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Should We Be Targeting Self-Esteem in Treatment for Offenders: Do Gender and Race Matter in whether Self-Esteem Matters?.

Abstract Self-esteem has long been a subject of discussion regarding its effects on problem behaviors including crime and recidivism. The current literature suggests that low self-esteem is not related to crime for male offenders and perhaps it is inflated self-esteem that is to blame for violence and crime. The literature on females and crime still suggests, however, that low self-esteem plays a part in the etiology of crime. This study sought to uncover the differences in the effects of self-esteem on recidivism in a sample of 280 offenders, both men and women, and black and white. This study found that while self-esteem was not related to recidivism for the sample as a whole and there was no difference in the effects of self-esteem on recidivism for men and women, there was a race effect. That is, as the levels of self-esteem increased, the likelihood of arrest for African Americans increased, regardless of gender. The opposite was true for white offenders. As self-esteem levels for white offenders increased, regardless of gender, the likelihood of arrest decreased. Possible explanations as well as policy implications are addressed.