Does intra-individual change predict offender recidivism? Searching for the Holy Grail in assessing offender change

Faced with high and increasing rates of mental disorder within the criminal justice system (CJS), a range of interventions have been implemented in an effort to prevent continued involvement in criminal activities among this population. A meta-analytic review was undertaken to consider the effectiveness of interventions for criminally involved adults with a mental disorder targeting either improved criminal justice or mental health outcomes. Furthermore, characteristics that were hypothesized to predict better outcomes were examined. Studies that considered sex offender interventions, or focused solely on antisocial personality, intellectual and cognitive, or substance use disorders were excluded. Results assuming a fixed-effects model combining 37 effect sizes from 25 studies (N = 15,678) support the effectiveness of these interventions in terms of reductions in any CJS involvement (d = 0.19 excluding one outlier). Interventions had no significant effect on an aggregate mental health outcome (d = 0.00). However, when considering distinct mental health outcomes, intervention participants had significantly better functioning (d = 0.20) and fewer symptoms (d = 0.12). There were no significant effects of the interventions on mental health service or medication use. Moderator analyses identified seven sample, intervention, and design characteristics that were related to the magnitude of the effect sizes for criminal justice outcomes, and suggest implications for service provision, policy, and research. Results suggested some relationship between intervention effects on mental health and criminal justice reinvolvement, although future research is needed in this area, especially given the absence of mental health outcome data in many studies.

Stopping the revolving door: a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of interventions for criminally involved individuals with major mental disorders.

Objective: Despite a large evidence base indicating that cognitive skills programs can reduce reoffending in individuals without mental illness, there have been no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine their effectiveness in mentally disordered offenders (MDOs). In the first RCT of a cognitive skills program for MDOs, we aimed to investigate whether participation in the Reasoning and Rehabilitation (RR the effect on verbal aggression was maintained at 12-months posttreatment. Half of those randomized to receive RR post hoc analyses were therefore conducted to compare treatment responses in program completers and noncompleters. After controlling for psychopathic traits, incidents of violence, verbal aggression, and leave violations during treatment were significantly lower in program completers, and there were significant effects of program completion on verbal aggression and substance use at 12-months posttreatment. Conclusions: R&R leads to a reduction in incidents of antisocial behavior in MDO populations, with potentially greater impact on those who complete treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). Language: en

A multisite randomized trial of a cognitive skills program for male mentally disordered offenders: violence and antisocial behavior outcomes.

The present study examined whether treatment change among offenders under community supervision would predict reductions in recidivism. The intervention program, based on cognitive-behavioral principles, focused on changing antisocial attitudes. Compared to a matched control group, the likelihood of reduced recidivism was 57% for the binary outcome and 70% for the multiple count outcome, after controlling for past program participation, propensity score, and days of opportunity to offend. The within-person pre-/postchange scores showed less promise in predicting recidivism. Only changes with a single antisocial associate measure, which were not central to the treatment program, predicted future recidivism. Caution must be used in the idiographic assessment of dynamic risk and treatment change.

Changing risk factors that impact recidivism: in search of mechanisms of change.

Criminality and violence among the mentally disordered: The Stockholm Metropolitan Project

This pilot study examined differences in criminal attitudes and hostile attribution biases among three groups of offenders diagnosed with serious mental disorders. It also compared the criminal outcomes for a sample of mentally ill offenders (MIO's) who completed a modified version of the Options cognitive skills program with a treatment-as-usual sample of MIO's. Results showed that pre- and posttest change scores for the Overgeneralization subscale of the Hostile Interpretations Questionnaire (HIQ), the Identification with Criminal Others subscale of the Criminal Sentiments Scale—Modified (CSS-M), and the HIQ Authority subscale differed between the groups of offenders with serious mental disorders. Participants identified for treatment by the pilot program (intended treatment group) and participants who completed the entire intervention had fewer arrests, including fewer arrests for violent offenses, but had higher technical probation violations than a treatment-as-usual comparison group.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0093854807313356

Katherine O. Sternbach

Papers

Generic Correctional Programming for Mentally Ill Offenders A Pilot Study