Ivan Zinger

Bio: Ivan Zinger is an academic researcher from Carleton University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Human rights & Population. The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 13 publications receiving 2230 citations. Previous affiliations of Ivan Zinger include Correctional Service of Canada.

Does correctional treatment work? a clinically relevant and psychologically informed meta-analysis *

Abstract: Careful reading of the literature on the psychology of criminal conduct and of prior reviews of studies of treatment effects suggests that neither criminal sanctioning without provision of rehabilitative service nor servicing without reference to clinical principles of rehabilitation will succeed in reducing recidivism. What works, in our view, is the delivery of appropriate correctional service, and appropriate service reflects three psychological principles: (1) delivery of service to higher risk cases, (2) targeting of criminogenic needs, and (3) use of styles and modes of treatment (e.g., cognitive and behavioral) that are matched with client need and learning styles. These principles were applied to studies of juvenile and adult correctional treatment, which yielded 154 phi coefficients that summarized the magnitude and direction of the impact of treatment on recidivism. The effect of appropriate correctional service (mean phi = .30) was significantly (p <.05) greater than that of unspecified correctional service (.13), and both were more effective than inappropriate service (−.06) and non-service criminal sanctioning (−.07). Service was effective within juvenile and adult corrections, in studies published before and after 1980, in randomized and nonrandomized designs, and in diversionary, community, and residential programs (albeit, attenuated in residential settings). Clinical sensitivity and a psychologically informed perspective on crime may assist in the renewed service, research, and conceptual efforts that are strongly indicated by our review.

Psychopathy and Canadian criminal proceedings: The potential for human rights abuses

Abstract: Expert testimony on the diagnosis of psychopathy is becoming increasingly common in Canadian criminal courts, and may be used to justify more severe sanctions. This article compares expert testimon...

The psychological effects of 60 days in administrative segregation.

Abstract: Les participants dans cette etude sont 60 detenus canadiens des penitenciers de Kingston, de Collins Bay et de Millhaven qui (a) avaient ete places en segregation a leur propre demande ou involonta...

Actuarial Risk Assessment and Human Rights: A Commentary

Abstract: Introduction In recent years, criminal justice professionals have increasingly endorsed actuarial measures of risk as the most reliable predictive instruments for decision making (Ericson and Haggerty 1997; Hannah-Moffat and Shaw 2001). Andrews and Bonta define the actuarial approach as involving "explicit criteria for decisions that are validated by research" (2003: 234). In a recent review of best practices in risk assessment, Bonta (2002) indicates that the first guideline for psychologists when assessing risk is to rely on empirically based actuarial risk instruments. The poor performance of clinical judgement (i.e., determination of risk based on professional opinion and expertise) compared to actuarial risk assessment in predicting criminal behaviour is by now well documented (Bonta, Law, and Hanson 1998; Grove and Meehl 1996; Grove, Zald, Lebow, Snitz, and Nelson 2000). Some have even argued that failure to conduct actuarial risk assessment or consider its results is irrational, unscientific, unethical, and unprofessional (Grove and Meehl 1996; Quinsey, Harris, Rice, and Cormier 1998). In the criminal justice context, clinical judgement frequently fails to consider criminogenic risk factors (i.e., factors that research has found to be associated with criminality) and too often relies on characteristics not associated with criminality and recidivism, resulting in poor or unsubstantiated decisions (both false positives and false negatives). Grove and Meehl go so far as to argue that the "clinical brain" is a "poor substitute for an explicit regression equation or actuarial table. Humans simply cannot assign optimal weights to variables, and they are not consistently applying their own weights" (1996: 315). They further suggest that clinical judgement is unduly vulnerable to personal prejudice and bias. The movement toward using actuarial risk assessment has permeated the entire criminal justice system. Criminal justice professionals are increasingly familiar with the long list of high-performing actuarial risk assessment instruments (Bonta 2002) with impressive acronyms, such as PCL-R, LSI-R, VRAG, HRC-20, SONAR, RRASOR, and STATIC-99. A few provincial jurisdictions require probation officers to include actuarial risk assessment results in pre-sentence reports (Cole and Angus 2003). Judges frequently rely on actuarial risk assessments when handing down their sentences, and a high level of risk invariably results in harsher dispositions (Zinger and Forth 1998). Correctional authorities routinely depend on actuarial risk assessment to make decisions on security classification, institutional placement, programming, and conditional release (e.g., temporary absences, work releases). Parole boards typically require such assessments before rendering decisions with respect to parole or other forms of conditional release. For many psychologists working in criminal justice, and a few psychiatrists, actuarial risk instruments are a part of the daily work routine and preoccupations (Bonta 2002). Academic journals are filled with articles on the validity of specialized scales that attempt to predict various forms of recidivism (general, violent, sexual recidivism). More telling, perhaps, is the literature comparing the performance of different instruments. The debates surrounding scale performance are frequently heated (Gendreau, Goggin, and Smith 2002; Hemphill and Hare 2004). Those who have developed instruments that outperform their competitors also appear to feel a certain sense of pride and accomplishment (Pratt 2001). Moreover, developing an instrument may result in considerable profit and prestige and, in some rare instances, even celebrity (see The Corporation [Abbott and Achbar 2003], featuring Dr Hare's PCL-R [1991]). In addition to substantial royalties, some instruments may generate further revenues by requiring mandatory specialized training in their use, application, and interpretation (e. …

The empirical status of gottfredson and hirschi's general theory of crime: a meta‐analysis

Abstract: To determine the empirical status of Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) “general theory of crime,” we conducted a meta-analysis on existing empirical studies. The results indicate that, regardless of measurement differences, low self-control is an important predictor of crime and of “analogous behaviors.” Also, low self-control has general effects across different types of samples. Contrary to Gottfredson and Hirschi's position, however, the effect of low self-control is weaker in longitudinal studies, and variables from social learning theory still receive support in studies that include a measure of low self-control. Finally, we argue that meta-analysis is an underutilized tool in discerning the relative empirical merits of criminological theories.

Classification for effective rehabilitation: Rediscovering psychology.

Abstract: Four principles of classification for effective rehabilitation are reviewed: risk, need, responsivity, and professional override. Many examples of Case x Treatment interactions are presented to ill...

The efficacy of psychological, educational, and behavioral treatment. Confirmation from meta-analysis.

Abstract: Conventional reviews of research on the efficacy of psychological, educational, and behavioral treatments often find considerable variation in outcome among studies and, as a consequence, fail to reach firm conclusions about the overall effectiveness of the interventions in question. In contrast meta-analytic reviews show a strong, dramatic pattern of positive overall effects that cannot readily be explained as artifacts of meta-analytic technique or generalized placebo effects. Moreover, the effects are not so small that they can be dismissed as lacking practical or clinical significance. Although meta-analysis has limitations, there are good reasons to believe that its results are more credible than those of conventional reviews and to conclude that well-developed psychological, educational, and behavioral treatment is generally efficacious.

Violent offenders: Appraising and managing risk.

Abstract: Federal Abortion Policy and Politics: 1973-1996 Why is Abortion Such a Controversial issue in the United States Barriers to Access to Abortion Services The Impact of Anti-abortion Activities on Women Seeking Abortions Black Women and the Question of Abortion Latinos and Abortion Abortion and Asian Pacific Islander Americans The Acceptability of Medical Abortion to Women Understanding the Relationship of Violence Against Women to Unwanted Pregnancy and it's Resolution Testing a Model of the Psychological Consequences of Abortion Men and Abortion: The Gender Politics of Pregnancy Resolution Abortion Among Adolescents A Cognitive Approach to Patient-Centered Abortion Care Abortion Issues in Psychotherapy Bringing Lessons Learned to the United States Improving Access to Abortion Services Abortion Practice, Policy, and Research: Recommendations for the 21st Century