Publication Title

The Oxford Handbook of Evidence-Based Crime and Justice Policy

Document Type

Book Chapter - Embargoed (Open Access after Expiration)

Department or Program

Sociology

Publication Date

1-23-2024

Keywords

rehabilitation, meta-analysis, what works, evidence-based practice, recidivism, desistance

Abstract

Since Robert Martinson’s famous declaration that there was little evidence on the effectiveness of rehabilitation, correctional research on what works to reduce recidivism has proliferated. There is a vast body of literature indicating that programs and interventions, when applied appropriately in prison or in the community, can be effective. Intervention approaches with relatively strong evidence include (1) educational/vocational, (2) cognitive-behavioral therapy, (3) substance use/abuse, and some evidence for (4) sex offender programs. However, there is a large amount of variability in the results of evaluations, and the sources of that variability need to be interrogated. While there is increasingly good evidence about the effectiveness of correctional programming, much more rigorous evidence is necessary for both prison- and community-based interventions. Further, to truly assess rehabilitation, which implies “enduring change,” corrections should take a desistance-focused approach and expand the measurement of outcomes and of follow-up time frames.

Comments

Original version is available from the publisher at: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197618110.013.15

Copyright Note

This is the author's version of the work. This document represents the first 25% of the book chapter per the publisher's policies. This publication appears in Bates College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.

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Available for download on Thursday, January 23, 2025

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