Ruth M. Hatcher

Cognitive skills behavior programs for offenders in the community: A reconviction analysis

This study presents the findings of an evaluation of the effect on reconviction of three general offending behavior programs involving adult male offenders in the English and Welsh Probation Service. Using a quasi-experimental design controlling for population factors, there was no difference in the reconviction rates of offenders allocated to programs and a comparison group. Offenders who completed a program had a lower rate of reconviction compared to the nonstarter, noncompleter, and comparison groups. A range of explanations for this “completion effect” is discussed, particularly with regard to the emerging literature on readiness to change.

Offending behaviour programmes in the community: The effects on reconviction of three programmes with adult male offenders

Purpose. This study presents the findings of an evaluation of the effect on reconviction of three general offending behaviour programmes in the English and Welsh Probation Service with adult male offenders. Method. The study employed a quasi-experimental design comparing the reconviction rates of three groups: offenders who were allocated to and completed a programme, offenders allocated to a programme but failed to complete, and a comparison group. Results. The main finding from the analyses indicated that, controlling for salient population factors, the offenders who had completed a programme had a lower rate of reconviction as compared with non-completers and comparison groups. Additionally, the non-completers had a higher rate of reconviction than the comparison group. Conclusions. The findings are discussed in light of the extant literature and a range of explanations is presented. Research suggests that offenders typically show distinctive social cognitive styles, including impulsivity and problematic social perspective-taking, and experience difficulties in solving interpersonal problems in socially appropriate ways (for a review, see Antonowicz & Ross, 2005). Therefore, offending behaviour programmes attempt to reduce reoffending by changing offenders’ behaviour through cognitive skills training. This approach to reducing reoffending is supported by the results of metaanalytic reviews of offender treatment, in which interventions based on cognitivebehavioural principles have been shown to be effective in reducing the rates of reoffending (e.g. Andrews et al., 1990; Lipsey, 1992; Lipton, Pearson, Cleland, & Yee, 2002). These meta-analyses have shown interventions to have an average effect size

Aggression replacement training with adult male offenders within community settings: a reconviction analysis

This study presents the findings of an evaluation of the Aggression Replacement Training programme as regards the reconviction of male violent offenders within the English and Welsh Probation Service. This study employed a quasi-experimental design which utilised one-to-one matching on key criminogenic variables between an experimental group and a comparison group. The experimental group comprised convicted violent offenders who had been allocated to the programme by probation staff, while the comparison group was sampled from a larger pool of individuals who had been convicted of a violent offence and had subsequently received a community sentence but were not allocated to the programme. Outcome data were analysed using both the ‘intention to treat’ and ‘treatment received’ methodologies. The latter methodology allowed comparison of the naturally occurring groups of completers and non-completers with their matched comparisons and each other. The phi effect size correlations indicated a 13.3% decrease in reconviction in the experimental group as compared to the matched comparison group. Additionally, programme non-completers were more likely to be reconvicted than their matched comparisons and programme completers. These findings are discussed in the light of the extant literature, and different interpretations are considered.

Working with sex offenders: the impact on Australian treatment providers

Abstract This paper reports on an exploratory study of compassion fatigue, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and vicarious traumatization amongst sex offender treatment providers in Australia. The research uses a nationwide sample of treatment providers from correctional settings and quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the impact of working compassionately with sex offenders. In addition to assessing levels of negative psychological affect, the study also considers the influence of demographic and work-related variables and explores the coping strategies used and the role of collegial support in mediating any negative effects. Contrary to previous research within this field, the quantitative analysis determined low levels of vicarious trauma, and low to moderate levels of compassion fatigue and burnout amongst the sample. In addition, over 85% of the sample reported moderate to high levels of compassion satisfaction, indicating that they derived pleasure from their work. The work-related factors of environmental safety and role problems were found to significantly predict the compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue variables respectively, indicating the influence of organizational factors on psychological wellbeing. The qualitative analysis, however, revealed shifts in the cognitive schemas of the sample to accommodate the traumatic material to which they are exposed. Given that such shifts were observed but negative psychological impact was not, future research could usefully draw on the psychological resilience literature in an investigation of the qualities which protect treatment providers from negative psychological consequences.

Substance use, mental health, and relationships: A comparison of male and female offenders serving community sentences.

This study examined criminogenic need in the areas of drug use, alcohol use, mental health, and relationships, in 6453 male and 1045 female probationers, using data from the Offender Assessment System (OASys). It also examined the associations between these four areas. Females had significantly higher levels of need than males for mental health and relationships, and males had significantly higher levels of need for alcohol use. There was no group difference for drug use. For both males and females, there were significant positive correlations for scores between all pairs of needs, except for drug and alcohol use. The strength of the association between relationships and drug use was significantly stronger among females as compared to males. The results are discussed in light of the previous research and their implications for interventions to reduce offending.

The Importance of Appropriate Allocation to Offending Behavior Programs

This study examined the impact on reconviction of appropriate allocation to three general offending behavior programs involving adult male offenders in the English and Welsh Probation Service. Appropriate allocation was defined by level of risk for reconviction. There were three allocation groups: too low, appropriate, and too high. Using a quasi-experimental design, the reconviction rates of offenders who were allocated to and completed a program, offenders allocated to a program who failed to start, and a comparison group were compared. It was found that the appropriateness of allocation affected reconviction independently of treatment group. Furthermore, in line with the risk principle, there was an interaction between treatment group and the appropriateness of allocation.

Methodological Considerations in the Evaluation of Offender Interventions The Problem of Attrition

Attrition from offender interventions presents methodological problems when the effectiveness of the intervention is under evaluation. This article proposes a treatment-received (TR) design, which incorporates one-to-one matching on criminogenic variables. This design permits the comparison of completer, noncompleter, and nonstarter groups with their paired comparisons and, hence, allows a more accurate evaluation of program completion and noncompletion effects. A sample of 173 offenders, referred to one of two general offending behavior cognitive skills programs within community settings, was matched one-to-one by criminogenic variables to offenders from an appropriate comparison group. Reconviction analyses were undertaken using intention to treat (ITT) analysis, TR analysis using the full comparison group, and TR analysis using matched comparison groups. The ITT design found no impact of group membership on reconviction. The TR designs, however, provided evidence of moderate effects of completion: For every three completers, five of the matched comparison group members were reconvicted. The analysis also suggested a noncompletion effect: Noncompleters were twice as likely as their matched comparison group to be reconvicted.

Allocation to offending behavior programs in the english and welsh probation service

The Probation Service of England and Wales delivers three offending behavior programs designed for offenders who have committed any offense. One of the selection criteria for these programs states that offenders should have a medium-high risk of reoffending rather than low or very high risk. This article examines the appropriateness of offender allocation by risk level to these three programs in the Probation Service. There was significant variation in allocation performance by Probation Area and program. Appropriateness of allocation was associated with program completion. Very high—risk offenders were more likely to not start a program that they had been allocated to and more likely to not complete a program once they had started. Appropriateness of allocation also affected reconviction independently of program completion status.

Cognitive Skills Programs for Female Offenders in the Community Effect on Reconviction

This article reports an evaluation of two cognitive skills programs (Enhanced Thinking Skills and Think First) with 801 women offenders serving community sentences in the English and Welsh Probation Service. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare the reconviction rates at 1-year follow-up of offenders who completed the program, offenders who started but did not complete the program, and a comparison group that were not allocated to the program. Multivariate analysis showed that the completers did not have a significantly lower rate of reconviction than the comparison group. However, the non-completers had a significantly higher rate of reconviction than the comparison group. No differences were found in reconviction between the completers group and non-completers group. The implications of the findings for interventions with women offenders are discussed.

Evaluation of the Addressing Substance-Related Offending (ASRO) Program for Substance-Using Offenders in the Community: A Reconviction Analysis

This article reports an evaluation of the Addressing Substance-Related Offending program in the English and Welsh Probation Service. Participants were 319 adult male offenders who had a history of substance use and were serving community sentences. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare the reconviction rates of offenders who completed the program, offenders who started but did not complete the program, and a comparison group of offenders who were not allocated to the program. Multivariate analysis showed that at one-year follow-up the completers had a significantly lower rate of reconviction and longer time to reconviction than the non-completers, and the non-completers had a significantly higher rate of reconviction and shorter time to reconviction than the comparison group. No differences were found in reconviction between the completers and comparison group.