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Introduction: Substance use disorder (SUD), overdose, and drug use-related crime continue to increase in the U.S. Pre-arrest diversion-to-treatment programs may decrease crime recidivism and overdose deaths. We assessed the impact of a community-wide diversion-to-treatment initiative on crime, incarceration, and overdose., Methods: This article reports on the prospective evaluation of a law enforcement-led, pre-arrest diversion-to-treatment program on crime, incarceration, and overdose deaths compared between participants who did not engage (non-engaged; n = 103), engaged but did not complete (non-completers; n = 60) and completed (completers; n = 100) the program. Participants included 263 adults apprehended by police officers for low-level, drug use-related crimes between September 1, 2017 and August 31, 2020. The program offered eligible persons participation in a six-month program consisting of a clinical assessment, referral to addiction treatment services based on each individual's needs, connection to recovery peer support, and treatment engagement monitoring. Completers had their initial criminal charges 'voided,' while non-engaged and non-Completer participants had their original charges filed with local prosecutors. The project collected participant-level data on arrests and incarceration within 12 months before and 12 months after program enrollment and data on fatal overdose within 12 months after program enrollment. Logistic regression predicted outcomes using baseline demographics (sex, age, race, housing status) and pre-index crime arrest and incarceration indices as covariates., Results: After accounting for baseline demographics and pre-enrollment arrest/incarceration history, logistic regression models found that the non-engaged and the non-Completer groups were more likely than completers to be arrested (odds ratios [ORs]: 3.9 [95 % CI, 2.0-7.7] and 3.6 [95 % CI, 1.7-7.5], respectively) and incarcerated (ORs: 10.3 [95 % CI, 5.0-20.8] and 21.0 [95 % CI, 7.9-55.7], respectively) during the 12-month follow-up. Rates of overdose deaths during the 12-month follow-up were greatest in non-engaged (6/103, 5.8 %) and non-Completer (2/60, 3.3 %) groups; completers had the lowest rate (2/100, 2.0 %), with all deaths occurring after completion of the six-month treatment/monitoring program., Conclusions: Collaboration between law enforcement, clinicians, researchers, and the broader community to divert adults who commit a low-level, drug use-related crime from criminal prosecution to addiction treatment may effectively reduce crime recidivism, incarceration, and overdose deaths., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest AEZ's research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute; AEZ is a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine Board of Directors. JEN's research is supported by the Department of Defense, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program and the National Institutes of Health. Retired Captain JAB serves as a consultant for the development and implementation of pre-arrest diversion programs. The other authors report no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Progress monitoring is integral to evidence-based practice. Correctional settings, especially the supervision of individuals who commit sexual offenses, elicit public concern; negative outcomes can be catastrophic. Using a prospective longitudinal study of 2,939 men with a history of sexual offenses undergoing community supervision, we examined different models of progress monitoring and how they should inform the assessment of risk for sexual recidivism. We found that the most recent assessment scores of the ACUTE-2007 and STABLE-2007 sexual recidivism risk tools provided the best information about reoffending risk compared to using (a) the worst period of adjustments (i.e., highest risk score), (b) the best period of adjustments (i.e., lowest risk score), or (c) a rolling average of scores. We also found that the latest STABLE-2007 scores incrementally predicted sexual recidivism beyond baseline risk as assessed by demographic and criminal history variables (Static-99R). We conclude that the risk for sexual recidivism changes over time and that community corrections is advanced by repeated assessment of dynamic (changeable) risk factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Recidivism in Australia is high, especially in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). While high-quality stable housing has been shown to reduce recidivism, people released from prison face many barriers in obtaining housing. This paper reports on a qualitative study exploring the housing experiences of 11 people released from prison in the ACT. Participants felt the importance of housing for reintegration and avoiding recidivism, but reported many challenges, including issues relating to lack of pre-release planning, income and employment, drug use, difficulties and delays with accessing social housing, and complying with parole or bail conditions. We recommend increased investment in services to assist people in prison with organizing housing before release. Furthermore, as housing is a foundational need for reintegration and drug use is high among the prison population in the ACT, Housing First initiatives may be the most appropriate model for providing accommodation and reducing recidivism., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: At the time of the research, Dr Doyle was the President of Prisoners Aid (ACT) and Professor Bartels was its Secretary. It was made clear that participation would not impact on the services received from Prisoners Aid (ACT) or any other service providers.

This analysis employs a Bayesian framework to estimate the impact of a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) intervention on the recidivism of high-risk people under community supervision. The study relies on the reanalysis of experimental datal using a Bayesian logistic regression model. In doing so, new estimates of programmatic impact were produced using weakly informative Cauchy priors and the Hamiltonian Monte Carlo method. The Bayesian analysis indicated that CBT reduced the prevalence of new charges for total, non-violent, property, and drug crimes. However, the effectiveness of the CBT program varied meaningfully depending on the participant's age. The probability of the successful reduction of drug offenses was high only for younger individuals (<26 years old), while there was an impact on property offenses only for older individuals (>26 years old). In general, the probability of the successful reduction of new charges was higher for the older group of people on probation. Generally, this study demonstrates that Bayesian analysis can complement the more commonplace Null Hypothesis Significance Test (NHST) analysis in experimental research by providing practically useful probability information. Additionally, the specific findings of the reestimation support the principles of risk-needs responsivity and risk-stratified community supervision and align with related findings, though important differences emerge. In this case, the Bayesian estimations suggest that the effect of the intervention may vary for different types of crime depending on the age of the participants. This is informative for the development of evidence-based correctional policy and effective community supervision programming., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Research has consistently found risk for sexual recidivism drops as men convicted of a sexual offense age. One question that remains, however, is whether this age-related reduction in risk applies to men who commit their sexual offenses at an older age. The current study examined this question in a sample of 939 men who were screened for civil management and released to the community (mean follow-up = 6.33 years, SD = 3.98 years), by comparing the sexual recidivism rates of (a) 238 men convicted of sexual offenses committed over the age of 60 (Over-60 Index group), and (b) 701 men who committed sexual offenses under the age of 60 but who were released to the community over the age of 60 (Under-60 Index group). Even though the Under-60 Index group was significantly higher risk at release, the Over-60 Index group sexually recidivated at a significantly higher rate, a difference largely driven by the small group of men who had committed sexual offenses both under and over the age of 60. The Static-99R was a strong predictor of sexual recidivism regardless of age at sexual offending (i.e., just under 60, just over 60, or both under and over 60). The 2021 Routine Samples norms significantly overpredicted sexual recidivism for the Under-60 Index group and significantly underpredicted sexual recidivism for the Over-60 Index group, indicating that the use of the 2016 High Risk/High Needs norms could be more appropriate for the Over-60 Index group, particularly those men who sexually offended under the age of 60 before sexually offending over the age of 60., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Following the French law n° 98-468 of 17 June 1998 relative to the prevention of sexual offenses and the protection of minors, social and judicial follow-up and court-ordered treatment were introduced with the aim of reinforcing the prevention of recidivism. Court-ordered treatment is one of the possible obligatory measures provided for by social and judicial follow-up. However, there is no consensus between the different professionals concerning the criteria of indication and the final purpose of this measure. Most of the few available studies are retrospective. Only rare studies have assessed the influence of criminological factors on the indication of court-ordered treatment. We carried out a nation-wide qualitative comparative study in two populations, psychiatric experts and sentencing judges, by means of e-mail questionnaires. The aim was to determine the criteria for court-ordered treatment according to psychiatric experts and to sentencing judges, to identify the criteria that gave rise to differences in appreciation between these professionals, and to attempt to explain these differences. The secondary aim of the study was to determine the methods and tools used in expert practice to evaluate dangerousness and risk of recidivism. We obtained 20 responses in each of the two populations. The great majority of psychiatric experts and sentencing judges considered that court-ordered treatment was appropriate when the offender presented with psychiatric dangerousness, and so with an underlying mental disorder. When a subject had no identified mental disorder, the psychiatrists were divided in their opinion, whereas the majority of sentencing judges were in favor of court-ordered treatment. Opinions differed particularly significantly between the two populations in four circumstances: a subject with an antisocial/psychopathic personality disorder, a subject who denied the alleged acts, the influence of precarious social circumstances and the influence of instability in intimate relationships. The majority of experts used international classifications (DSM-5 and ICD-10) as a basis for their psychiatric diagnosis. Just under half of those surveyed used structured or semi-structured interview guides and only a few stated that they used standardized actuarial tools to assess risk of recidivism. The concepts of care, dangerousness and mental disorder are associated with multiple representations that certainly play a part in the disagreements between the different professionals. It is of prime importance to define these concepts more clearly in order to encourage the use of a common language and to clarify the indications and purpose of court-ordered treatment. We also hypothesize that disagreements between professionals regarding the criteria for court-ordered treatment may be related to certain difficulties raised by the management of the convicted person. The development of guidelines that could be used by all professionals would help to reduce some of these difficulties. Psychiatric experts remain attached to clinical evaluation. Their limited use of assessment tools may relate to the material constraints and time constraints involved. The issue at stake in court-ordered treatment and social and judicial follow-up is to promote cooperation between the various professionals by creating a space for exchange of ideas where the fundamental questions raised by these measures can be discussed, fears shared and knowledge pooled., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This systematic review assessed whether studies on the outcomes of perpetrator programs comply with the model recommendations for outcome evaluation. Three databases (PsycINFO, Medline, and Scopus) were used to identify perpetrator program outcome studies from 1988 to 2021. The inclusion criteria were as follows: empirical studies with no time restriction; published in English or Spanish; evaluated interventions aimed at male perpetrators of any type of abuse toward women; evaluated the effectiveness of the intervention in a follow-up post-intervention; and provided an indicator of recidivism. The search and selection process resulted in 46 original studies. The results showed that studies did not include a thorough description of the study sample. Many approaches to psychological intervention are used, with cognitive behavioral therapy being the most widely used. Most studies did not describe the program content. Dropout rates varied greatly from one study to another (from 0% to 64%) and only eight studies provided dropout rates specified by each type of perpetrator. The follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 9 years. The recidivism rates (ranging from 5% to 72.5%), and their assessments were also very different. Only 12 of the 46 studies (26.1%) used more than one source to obtain recidivism rates. In terms of outcomes, few studies considered (ex-) partner accounts. Some studies had other measures of outcome, whereas a few included a pretest-posttest. In summary, these studies do not follow the recommendations of the model., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Previous research has suggested that the core features of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may contribute to offending behaviours and increased vulnerability within the Criminal Justice System. To date, there is a paucity of evidence assessing the effectiveness of interventions for offending behaviour in adults with ASD but without co-occurring intellectual disability (ID) across a broad range of forensic settings. The lack of robust evidence is concerning, as limited effectiveness may contribute to an increased likelihood of prolonged incarceration, particularly in the most restrictive settings. A PRISMA systematic review was conducted with a narrative synthesis to: (a) evaluate the evidence of the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing recidivism, (b) assess whether the core features of ASD impact the effectiveness of these interventions, and (c) identify additional factors that may affect the effectiveness of interventions within this population. Seven studies involving ten male participants were identified. The findings suggest that interventions for offending behaviours in adults with ASD without intellectual disability (ID) are largely inadequate, and that core ASD features need to be considered. Additionally, a complex interplay of risk factors potentially impacting intervention effectiveness was suggested. Limitations include heterogeneity across intervention types, measures of effectiveness, and what constitutes effectiveness. Despite the limited number of studies and data quality, the review aligns with a growing body of literature highlighting vulnerability and a need for evidence-based interventions for people with ASD. The review also discusses the broader implications of ineffective interventions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Young adults who commit low-level offences commonly have a range of health and social needs and are significantly over-represented in the criminal justice system. These young adults may need to attend court and potentially receive penalties including imprisonment. Alternative routes exist, which can help address the underlying causes of offending. Some feel more should be done to help young adults entering the criminal justice system. The Gateway programme was a type of out-of-court disposal developed by Hampshire Constabulary, which aimed to address the complex needs of young adults who commit low-level crimes. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Gateway programme, issued as a conditional caution, compared with usual process., Methods: The Gateway study was a pragmatic, parallel-group, superiority randomised controlled trial that recruited young adults who had committed a low-level offence from four sites covering Hampshire and Isle of Wight. The primary outcome was mental health and well-being measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Secondary outcomes were quality of life, alcohol and drug use, and recidivism. Outcomes were measured at 4, 16 and 52 weeks postrandomisation., Results: Due to issues with retention of participants and low data collection rates, recruitment ended early, with 191 eligible participants randomised (Gateway 109; usual process 82). The primary outcome was obtained for 93 (48.7%) participants at 4 weeks, 93 (48.7%) at 16 weeks and 43 (22.5%) at 1 year. The high attrition rates meant that effectiveness could not be assessed as planned., Conclusions: Gateway is the first trial in a UK police setting to have a health-related primary outcome requiring individual data collection, rather than focusing solely on recidivism. We demonstrated that it is possible to recruit and randomise from the study population, however follow-up rates were low. Further work is needed to identify ways to facilitate engagement between researchers and vulnerable populations to collect data., Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN11888938., Competing Interests: Competing interests: CH was Deputy Chair of the NIHR HTA commissioning board, NIHR CTU Standing Advisory Committee, HTA Post-Funding Committee teleconference and the HTA Funding Committee Policy Group. JR is a member of the NIHR Editorial Board for HTA and EME. JP is Director of Training, UK Faculty of Public Health., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Objective: In a recent trial, moral reconation therapy (MRT)-a cognitive-behavioral intervention for criminal recidivism-was not more effective than usual care (UC) for veterans in behavioral health treatment. To determine for whom treatments of recidivism are most effective, we tested if recency of criminal history or psychopathic traits moderated MRT's effects on outcomes., Method: In a multisite trial, 341 veterans (95.3% male; 57.8% White/Non-Hispanic) with a criminal history who were admitted to behavioral health treatment programs were randomly assigned to UC or UC + MRT and followed at 6- and 12-months. Incarceration (yes/no) or criminal conviction (yes/no) in the year prior to enrollment and psychopathic traits at baseline (median split) were prespecified as moderators of treatment effects on primary (criminal thinking, criminal associations) and secondary outcomes (legal, employment, and family/social problems; substance use problems and days of use)., Results: Among veterans incarcerated in the year prior to enrollment, MRT (vs. UC) was associated with greater reductions in criminal associations (6 months) and days drinking or using drugs (12 months). Among those convicted in the year prior to enrollment, MRT (vs. UC) was associated with greater reductions in employment problems (12 months) and days drinking or using drugs at each follow-up. For those high in psychopathic traits, MRT (vs. UC) was associated with greater reductions in days drinking or using drugs at each follow-up., Conclusions: For veterans in behavioral health treatment with recent criminal histories and high in psychopathic traits, MRT may be effective for reducing risk for criminal recidivism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Addressing the behavioral health needs of youths involved in the justice system is key to reducing recidivism risk and preventing long-term system involvement. However, rates of treatment referral and initiation remain low, especially among minoritized youths and boys. The e-Connect System, a digital, clinical decision support system, addresses this problem by increasing rates of behavioral health treatment referral and initiation rates among youths on probation. In this study, we examine whether e-Connect helps improve equity in referral and treatment initiation outcomes. ( Am J Public Health. 2023;113(12):1267-1270. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307417).

Purpose: Drivers who have committed a traffic violation are a particularly high-risk group, yet studies conducted among this group are scarce. We analyzed and synthesized the current literature concerning subsequent risky driving behaviors, recidivism, and crashes among drivers with a traffic violation., Methods: We searched PubMed, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Academic Search Complete, Web of Science, and Scopus for articles published in English between January 1, 1999, and May 31, 2023. A total of 25 articles met the selection criteria and were included in the final analysis. Two coders independently extracted and analyzed the selected articles to identify common categories across the articles, including study design, study population, type of traffic violation, and study outcomes including subsequent driving behaviors, recidivism, and crash risks., Results: Of the 25 selected articles, 19 (76%) involved both male and female participants. Fourteen (56%) studies were interventions/evaluation studies, with the other 11 (44%) being observational. Nineteen (76%) studies included alcohol-impaired driving violations, and 23 (92%) studies examined recidivism as an outcome measure. Over half of the observational studies demonstrated that traffic offenders were more likely to commit a subsequent traffic violation or had elevated risk of crashes. Most of the intervention/evaluation studies demonstrated a significant reduction in driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol among the study participants. However, such positive effects observed during the active intervention period were not always sustained., Conclusions: Traffic offenders are a high-risk group for subsequent violations and crashes. Evidence from this review calls for more effective interventions implemented following a traffic violation to prevent recidivism, crashes, and crash-related injuries and deaths., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Prior research shows employment is an important component of desistance, but there is mixed evidence regarding the effectiveness of prison-based education programs. Therefore, this study examines whether participation in vocational education programs while incarcerated improves recidivism and post-release employment outcomes. In addition, the study controls for the timing of release to examine whether recidivism and employment outcomes varied during the COVID-19 pandemic. Observable selection bias was reduced by using propensity score matching to create similar treatment and comparison groups. After matching, there were no differences in any outcome between those who obtained vocational certificates and the comparison group. The results demonstrate the importance of accounting for selection bias in evaluations of education and employment programs. It is recommended that career-focused educational programs incorporate the risk-needs-responsivity model and the continuum of care principle, build relationships with community employers, and assist with practical barriers to employment., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is widely recognized as a severe public health issue. Perpetrators' Intervention Programs (PIPs) have been essential to prevent recidivism, and the incorporation of Motivational Interview Techniques (MIT) has shown to be an added value in this area. Objective: The present systematic review aims to analyze the incorporation of MIT (i.e., pre-treatment, isolated treatment, and conjoined with PIPs) in interventions with IPV perpetrators and its potential impact on their behavior and attitudes regarding motivation for change and treatment compliance. Method: The following research equation was used: "Intimate Partner Violence" AND ("Perpetrator" OR "Batterer" OR "Offender") AND ("Motivation" OR "Motivational Interview") AND ("Intervention" OR "Intervention Program" OR "Batterer Intervention Program") AND ("Effectiveness OR "Program Effectiveness"); in four separate databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Science Direct, and EBSCO. Studies in English, Portuguese, and Spanish were included, and 15 were identified according to the defined inclusion criteria. Results: Studies demonstrated that MIT increases attendance rates, treatment adherence, motivation for change, and behavioral and attitudinal outcomes. More specifically, MIT showed greater effectiveness among participants with low readiness to change and in the early stages of change. Conclusion: This systematic review corroborates the importance of incorporating MIT in PIPs to improve intervention efficacy.

Previous researchers have demonstrated that learning to forgive may reduce the likelihood of offending/reoffending. Forgiveness therapy may be useful for rehabilitation by assisting traumatized individuals to release revengeful emotions. The current study is a follow up to a previous study that examined the effects of a 6-week forgiveness psychoeducational intervention for offenders with mental disorders. The aim of the current study was to determine any differences for participants who received a forgiveness intervention versus a control group for rates of recidivism (likelihood of reoffending and length of time to reoffend) and type of institutional offense. Recidivism data was collected through the Canadian Police Information Center. Both the control and treatment group in this study were selected from offenders with mental disorder at the Regional Psychiatric Centre, a multilevel forensic psychiatry hospital in Saskatoon, Canada. Results indicated that participants who received the forgiveness intervention took significantly longer than the control group to both commit non-violent offenses, and to be convicted of any offense. Results suggest that forgiveness therapy for offender populations may improve behavior and reduce recidivism.

When youth commit serious violent or sexual offenses, this often generates a call for more severe punishments and longer detention sentences. An important question is whether (long) detention sentences are effective in decreasing recidivism among serious young offenders. To estimate recidivism rates in serious young offenders and elucidate the link between sentencing (in terms of custodial vs. non-custodial and length of imprisonment) and recidivism, three multilevel meta-analyses were conducted. With a systematic literature search, 27 studies and four datasets were traced, involving N  = 2,308 participants, yielding 90 effect sizes for overall recidivism, 24 for specifically violent recidivism, and 23 for the association between length of imprisonment and recidivism. The average weighted overall recidivism rate was 44.47% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 37.59-51.46%) over an average period of 8.68 years. The rate of violent recidivism was estimated at 30.49% (95% CI: 20.92-40.52%), over an average period of 11.45 years. Recidivism rates were higher when recidivism was defined as an arrest for any new offense rather than for a specific offense and in studies conducted in the United States versus European studies. Violent recidivism rates were higher in studies with longer follow-up periods. Based on the limited available studies, no difference in recidivism rates following custodial and non-custodial sentences were found, nor an association between length of imprisonment and recidivism. To increase rehabilitation chances for youth offenders, further research is warranted to better understand the impact of sentencing and to ascertain what is needed to make custodial and non-custodial sentences more effective.

Substantial desistance from re-offending is one pragmatic goal of punishment. But that goal seemingly is not achieved in the contemporary experience of corrections within the U.S. This article marvels at how the abysmal record of desistance failure has characterized American penological practices in an age of mass incarceration. It notes prison programs are operationally desirable with short of empirical evidence for reduced recidivism. Religious immersion provides a promising avenue for lower recidivism. The article discusses a private prison in South Korea, built and operated by a church organization, that now has a decade of operating experience with sizable lower recidivism. The preliminary analysis shows a 3-year recidivism rate (re-incarceration) of about 10% compared with about 23% in comparable Korean prisons.

Restorative justice seeks to balance the needs of the victim, offender, and community by repairing the harm caused by crime and wrongdoing and improving the prosocial competencies and accountability of the offender in response to an offense. Restorative justice interventions (RJIs) offer an alternative method to reduce harm and short- and long-term recidivism. However, empirical validation of mechanisms and moderating factors warrant additional inquiry within jail and prison settings. Thus, the authors sought to examine RJI delivery timing on recidivism outcomes with age and gender as moderators. A final sample of 1,316 individuals (49.8% female) incarcerated in several United States prisons received an RJI between 2001 and 2017. RJI timing did not relate to binary recidivism. However, women recidivated less than men and older individual recidivated less than younger individuals. For the subsample of reoffenders ( n  = 283), RJIs delivered closer to release increased the amount of time before recidivism. Delivering RJIs closer to release from prison may allow for other community programs to intervene and reduce recidivism even further.

There has been a growth of domestic violence courts aimed at increasing offender accountability and victim safety. Although research has examined the effectiveness of these courts compared to typical court processing on recidivism, little is known about the mechanism of judicial accountability. Specifically, judicial review hearings, in which judges have discretion on whether and how to sanction for noncompliance, are common in these courts. This study examines whether incarceration sanctions for noncompliance affect recidivism among a sample of 347 probation review hearings in a Midwestern domestic violence court. Using logistic regression and survival analysis, we find that jail sanctions do not impact likelihood of recidivating but do result in significantly shorter periods of time until recidivating. The findings also signify the importance of addressing substance abuse issues in the prevention of recidivism. Further implications of the findings are discussed.

We examined the long-term risk for stalking recidivism and the predictive validity of ratings made using the Guidelines for Stalking Assessment and Management (SAM) in 100 stalking offenders from a forensic clinic. Overall, 45 offenders were convicted of, charged with, or the subject of police investigation for stalking-related offenses during a potential time at risk that averaged 13.47 years. Survival analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model indicated that a composite score of the presence of SAM risk factors was significantly predictive of recidivism and had significant incremental validity relative to total scores on two scales commonly used in violence risk assessment, the Screening Version of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL:SV) and the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG). Overall ratings of risk made using the SAM, however, were not significantly predictive of recidivism. We discuss the potential uses of the SAM in stalking risk assessment and provide recommendations for future research.

Child maltreatment recidivism is typically measured and studied at the individual level. Conditions that give rise to child abuse and neglect, however, typically affect multiple children in a given family. In the current study, we estimated maltreatment recidivism at the maternal level and examined its risk as a function of maternal sociodemographic characteristics that may change over time. Using linked administrative records, we identified a subset of first-time mothers in California whose first child was reported to the child protection system (CPS) between birth and age 5 and who then gave birth to another child ( n = 14,715). Following the firstborn child's CPS reporting, nearly half of these mothers (43.3%) were re-reported concerning the non-firstborn children during the first 5 years of the child's life. Risk factors consistently documented across births were associated with a heightened risk of maternal CPS recidivism. Our study advances an understanding of the full extent of maltreatment recidivism by broadening the focus from individual children.

Background: Prior research indicates that correctional treatment programmes can be highly effective in reducing reoffending. Less studied, however, is whether such programmes are economically efficient., Aims: To review the research literature on the economic efficiency of correctional treatment programmes., Methods: A review of cost-benefit analyses of correctional treatment programmes from 2004 to the present was carried out. To be included in the review, studies must have attempted to measure monetary costs and benefits of correctional treatment programmes and be based on experimental or quasi-experimental evaluations., Results: A total of 22 cost-benefit studies of correctional treatment programmes met the criteria for inclusion in the review, 19 of which estimated (or allowed estimation of) benefit-to-cost ratios. All 19 studies yielded a favourable benefit-to-cost ratio., Conclusions: Correctional treatment programmes appear to be economically efficient, with the monetary benefits produced by such programmes substantially exceeding their monetary costs. This finding appears to hold across a variety of different intervention types, and offers policy-makers and practitioners ample evidence in favour of providing additional resources for correctional treatment programmes., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Sexual recidivism risk assessment tools focus almost exclusively on risk factors associated with increased rates of recidivism and do not attend to protective factors that might mitigate reoffense risk. The present study investigated the predictive validity of the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors - Sexual Offence version (SAPROF-SO), developed to assess hypothesised protective factors against sexual recidivism in adult males. The SAPROF-SO pilot version contains 24 items across two domains: Personal and Professionally Provided Support. SAPROF-SO scores were rated retrospectively from a review of archived case files of 210 men with convictions for child sexual offenses, using the SAPROF-SO pilot manual and a supplementary retrospective scoring guide developed for the current study. SAPROF-SO Total and Personal domain scores were significantly predictive of sexual recidivism after an average follow-up period of 12.24 years (AUC = .81), and to a lesser extent, violent and general recidivism. SAPROF-SO Total and Personal scores additionally provided significant incremental validity over Static-99R scores in the prediction of sexual recidivism. Results support the predictive validity of protective factors for reduced sexual recidivism and invite future research examining how to integrate the SAPROF-SO alongside contemporary sexual recidivism risk assessment tools.

Crime comes with enormous costs, not only financial but also in terms of loss of mental and physical health and, in some cases, even loss of life. Recidivism is responsible for a considerable percentage of the crimes, and therefore, society deems reducing recidivism a priority. To reduce recidivism, several types of interventions can be used, such as education and employment-focused rehabilitation programs which are intended to improve psychological and social factors. Another way to prevent reoffending is to influence the offender's brain functions. For example, medication can be offered to treat delusions or to diminish sexual drive. In the near future, innovative neurotechnologies are expected to improve prediction and prevention of reoffending. Potential positive effects of such neurotechniques include a safer society and earlier release of prisoners who are no longer "at high risk" to relapse into criminal behavior. Meanwhile, employing these neurotechniques in the criminal justice system raises fundamental concerns, for example, about autonomy, privacy and mental integrity. This chapter aims to identify some of the ethical and legal challenges of using neurotechnologies to reduce recidivism., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study assessed the relationship between community behavioral health service (CBHS) use and criminal recidivism in a broad sample of potential beneficiaries and by diagnostic group., Methods: Among a cohort of people on probation with any mental and/or substance use disorder (N=772), the study estimated the effect of CBHS use on rearrest with Cox proportional hazards models., Results: Service use significantly predicted reduced recidivism among people with any mental disorder (hazard rate=0.36, p=0.008), but not among those with any substance use disorder or co-occurring disorders., Conclusions: CBHS use in a given week predicted a 64% reduced recidivism risk during the following week among people with any mental disorder. However, CBHS use had no clear relationship with recidivism among people with co-occurring disorders or any substance use disorder. CBHS use may reduce recidivism, depending on recipient and service characteristics.

Introduction: Driving while impaired by alcohol (DWI) is a persistent problem. Tailoring intervention modality to client risk and needs (i.e., risk/needs) is posited to both reduce recidivism more efficiently than uniform approaches and circumvent overtreatment or undertreatment. DWI drivers in Quebec must participate in a severity-based intervention assignment program to be relicensed, but like most tailoring programs it has yet to undergo systematic scrutiny. The current longitudinal cohort study tests two main hypotheses underpinning this approach: 1) drivers classified at higher recidivism risk based on their arrest characteristics (DWI R ) show poorer outcomes over up to 5-years postassessment compared to drivers classified at lower risk (DWI F ); and 2) for both DWI R and DWI F groups, assignment of drivers with greater risk/needs to intensive intervention (II) will be advantageous for reducing recidivism risk compared to assignment into brief intervention (BI) for those with lower risk/needs., Methods: Drivers who entered the program from 2012 to 2016 were followed to the end of 2018 (N = 37,612). Survival analysis examined the predictive validity of the initial classification into DWI R or DWI F groups for documented recidivism over a follow-up of up to 5 years. Logistic regression discontinuity evaluated the relative outcomes of drivers who were assigned to either BI or II. The study explored interaction effects between classification and intervention assignment with age and sex., Results: In line with the hypothesis, the average hazard of recidivism was 58 % greater in DWI R drivers compared to DWI F drivers. In both DWI F and DWI R drivers, assignment of drivers with greater risk/needs to II was associated with reduced recidivism compared to assignment of drivers with lower risk/needs to BI, with 57 % and 35 % decreased probability of recidivism, respectively. Younger age was more strongly associated with recidivism risk in DWI F drivers than in DWI R drivers., Conclusions: The current study found that Quebec's severity-based intervention assignment approach accurately identifies DWI drivers who: i) by their arrest characteristics pose a greater risk for recidivism, which may require expeditious exposure to preventative countermeasures; and ii) as a function of their greater risk/needs, benefit from assignment to more intensive intervention to mitigate their recidivism risk., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We, Thomas G. Brown, Nathaniel Moxley-Kelly, and Marie Claude Ouimet declare that we have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts (JDTC) emerged in the mid-1990s as a potential solution to concern about substance use among youth in the juvenile justice system (JJS). Despite substantial research, findings on the JDTC effectiveness for reducing recidivism and substance use remain inconsistent, hampered by methodological problems. In 2016, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention published research-based JDTC Guidelines for best practices, and funded technical assistance for implementation and a multisite national outcomes study among JDTCs implementing the Guidelines. Ten sites were originally selected for this study, with a JDTC and Traditional Juvenile Court (TJC) participating. In two sites, moderate- to high-risk youth were randomized to JDTC or TJC, and in eight sites, a regression discontinuity design assigned moderate- to high-risk youth to JDTC, and other youth to TJC. Findings from four sites with sufficient cases and follow-up rates indicated that JDTCs reduced cannabis use, increased access to mental health services, and reduced recidivism. However, the effects were small to moderate, with positive impacts mainly observed among high-risk youth. The impacts of JDTCs may have been attenuated because Guidelines implementation was inconsistent across courts, and some TJCs implemented elements of the Guidelines, blurring the distinction between JDTCs and TJCs., (© 2022. National Council for Mental Wellbeing.)

Objective: Individuals with serious mental illness are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Research has found that interventions targeting risk factors for recidivism (i.e., criminogenic risks) reduce justice involvement in the general correctional population. However, more needs to be learned regarding use of these interventions among individuals with serious mental illness. To this end, this systematic review synthesized research on interventions that target criminogenic risk factors and are delivered to justice-involved individuals with serious mental illness., Methods: A systematic search of six computerized bibliographic databases from inception to 2021 yielded 8,360 potentially relevant studies. Title and abstract screening, full-text reviews, and data extraction were performed independently, and discrepancies were resolved through discussion. To identify additional articles meeting inclusion criteria, experts in the field were contacted, and reference-harvesting techniques were used. Study quality was assessed with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool., Results: Twenty-one studies were identified that evaluated nine interventions delivered to justice-involved individuals with serious mental illness. All identified programs targeted criminogenic risk factors, were group based, and used cognitive-behavioral strategies. Study quality was moderate to high. Interventions were associated with improvements in recidivism, violence, and criminogenic risk factors., Conclusions: This review is the first to evaluate interventions targeting criminogenic risks among justice-involved individuals with serious mental illness. Findings suggest that outcomes associated with these interventions are promising. Given the overrepresentation of persons with serious mental illness in the criminal justice system, these findings provide an important step toward identifying services that curb justice involvement in this population.

The study aims to investigate the rates of recidivism among prisoners on parole with a substance misuse disorder who participated in the Jerusalem halfway-house, which combines supervision, employment, and a comprehensive therapeutic program. The study population included all participants who have been treated in the halfway-house ( N  = 125), whereas the comparison group included all prisoners with a substance misuse disorder who were released after serving their full sentences ( N  = 321). To reduce possible selection biases, the Propensity Score Matching method was used. Findings show that prisoners, who were treated at the Jerusalem halfway-house, are characterized by higher and frequent rates of recidivism. However, when only completers of the halfway-house were evaluated, it was found that they had lower and slower rates of recidivism. Findings suggest that completing treatment contributes to desistance from crime in the critical post-release years among participants and indicates the importance of optimal diagnostic processes before admitting prisoners to a halfway-house.

Objective: Criminal recidivism is common among patients in mental health residential treatment programs. Moral reconation therapy (MRT) has empirical support for reducing criminal recidivism by modifying antisocial cognitions and behaviors; however, its implementation potential in noncorrectional settings has been rarely studied. This potential was examined in a three-site effectiveness-implementation trial of MRT for justice-involved veterans receiving residential mental health treatment in the U.S. Veterans Health Administration., Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 36 veterans who received MRT and 13 residential program staff who were involved in its implementation during the trial. Interviews were guided by the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) framework and a focus on patient engagement and context. Content analysis was used to identify facilitators of and barriers to MRT implementation in residential mental health treatment., Results: Participants viewed MRT as unique and complementary to usual residential care, with benefits beyond recidivism reduction. However, time intensity of the MRT curriculum, challenges in adapting its content and format, and long-term costs of maintaining MRT were viewed as barriers to implementation. To facilitate implementation, participants suggested streamlining the MRT curriculum, adding motivational components, and establishing partnerships in- and outside the health care system., Conclusions: The findings suggest strategies and modifications to MRT, which, if shown to be effective, may facilitate its wider implementation in mental health residential treatment programs.

Replies to a comment made by DuBois (see record 2022-98051-005). The systematic review is an important tool for decision makers, intervention researchers, and practitioners to gain a clear and comprehensive overview of the available evidence on a given topic. We would, in this short reply, like to raise the two additional issues of critical appraisal and research synthesis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Interventions implemented outside of the juvenile justice system are widely utilized with youth offenders to decrease the likelihood of future offending and justice system involvement, both of which are well-documented as being costly to youth and society at large. Olsson et al. (2021) conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of these types of interventions for youth aged 12-17 and failed to find any of the interventions examined to be more effective than control treatments in reducing future criminality. This commentary further examines the evidence for one of these interventions, mentoring, based on an expanded search of the literature that identified several additional studies of mentoring for recidivism prevention that meet the eligibility criteria utilized by Olsson et al. A meta-analysis of these studies and those identified by Olsson et al. finds mentoring to be more effective than control treatments (typically services as usual within the juvenile justice system): risk difference between groups of 0.09 (random effect model; 95% confidence interval [.03-.15]). This reanalysis thus indicates greater promise for mentoring as a tool in reducing juvenile crime and juvenile justice system involvement than was suggested by the results of Olsson et al. Importantly, it also underscores the potential for the results of meta-analyses to be sensitive to not only unidentified studies with null or negative results (the so-called "file-drawer problem") but also missed studies with positive findings. Recommendations for literature search procedures in systematic reviews and sensitivity analyses in meta-analyses are provided with this concern in mind. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Current research provides little evidence for the effectiveness of treatment in reducing sexual offence recidivism amongst low-risk populations. However, in real-world correctional settings, program delivery rarely occurs in a vacuum, treatment may be politically mandated and unidimensional measures of program success may preclude recognition of broader benefits. The current study investigated the effectiveness of a low-intensity treatment program, both in terms of participants' recidivism outcomes and in terms of broader organizational/systems impacts. The results demonstrated low base rate recidivism across both program participants ( n = 311) and a comparison group of men who were assessed as demonstrating similar static sexual offence recidivism risk ( n = 391), and little evidence of reduced recidivism following treatment. However, program administration led to many potential participants being identified as demonstrating higher levels of dynamic risk and overridden to more intensive treatment options ( n = 101). Given evidence that such options do effectively reduce recidivism in higher risk populations, these findings may suggest an overall positive net effect.

The present study features the development of new risk categories and recidivism estimates for the Violence Risk Scale (VRS), a violence risk assessment and treatment planning tool. We employed a combined North American multisite sample ( k = 6, N = 1,338) of adult mostly male offenders, many with violent criminal histories, from correctional or forensic mental health settings that had complete VRS scores from archival or field ratings and outcome data from police records ( N = 1,100). There were two key objectives: (a) to identify the rates of violent recidivism associated with VRS scores and (b) to generate updated evidence-based VRS violence risk categories with external validation. To achieve the first objective, logistic regression was applied using VRS pretreatment and change scores on treated samples with a minimum 5-year follow-up ( k = 5, N = 472) to model 2-, 3-, and 5-year violent and general recidivism estimates, with the resulting logistic regression algorithms retained to generate a VRS recidivism rates calculator. To achieve the second objective, the Council of State Governments' guidelines were applied to generate five risk levels using the common language framework using percentiles, risk ratios (from Cox regression), and absolute violent and general recidivism estimates (from logistic regression). Construct validity of the five risk levels was examined through group comparisons on measures of risk, need, protection, and psychopathy obtained from the constituent samples. VRS applications to enhance risk communication, treatment planning, and violence prevention in light of the updated recidivism estimates and risk categories are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Child maltreatment recidivism substantially increases the likelihood of adverse life outcomes, but there is little evidence that family preservation services are effective at reducing recidivism. Mothers in child welfare have very high rates of trauma exposure; maternal post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an intervention target that has the potential to reduce abuse and neglect. The Safe Mothers, Safe Children (SMSC) intervention program involves the delivery of an innovative combination of interventions, including Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). The combined intervention, Parenting-STAIR (P-STAIR), targets maternal PTSD and comorbid depression symptoms to reduce the adverse effects of PTSD on parenting, improve positive parenting skills, and prevent maltreatment recidivism., Methods: This study is a two-arm randomized controlled trial: P-STAIR (23 sessions) versus supportive counseling (23 sessions). Participants are mothers receiving child welfare family preservation services (FPS), with a child in the age range of 1-8 years old and meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD (with/without depression). Clinical assessment occurs at pre-treatment (baseline), two in-treatment assessments (mid-assessment #1 after module 9 and mid-assessment #2 after module 15), post-treatment, and at a 6-month follow-up. Recidivism will be measured using the New York State Child Welfare Registry (NYSCWR). We will enroll a total of 220 participants over 4 years: half (N = 110) randomly assigned to the P-STAIR condition and half (N = 110) to the supportive counseling condition., Discussion: This is the first RCT to investigate the efficacy of P-STAIR. The findings for the trial have the potential to contribute to the expansion of evidence-based practices for maternal PTSD, maltreatment, and child welfare., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objective: Moral reconation therapy (MRT) is a cognitive-behavioral intervention to reduce risk for criminal recidivism. Despite being implemented widely in correctional settings, there are no randomized controlled trials of MRT, and its effectiveness for reducing recidivism among justice-involved adults in noncorrectional settings is unknown., Method: In a pragmatic trial, 341 justice-involved patients (95.3% male; 57.8% White/non-Hispanic) admitted to one of three mental health residential treatment programs were randomly assigned to usual care (UC) or UC plus two MRT groups per week for 12 weeks. Follow-ups were conducted at 6- and 12-month postbaseline (71.3% and 74.8% retention, respectively). Primary outcomes were criminal thinking and criminal associates. Secondary outcomes were legal problem severity, days incarcerated in the past 30, rearrested/charged (per official records), substance use, and employment and family/social problems. The study design, analysis, and outcomes were preregistered (ClinicalTrials.gov; ID: NCT02524171)., Results: Patients in both conditions improved over time on most outcomes. In intent-to-treat analyses, the rate of change in outcomes over time did not differ by condition, nor did the prevalence of being rearrested and charged within 1 year of baseline (UC = 20.2%, MRT = 24.9%; OR = 1.14; 95% CI [0.67, 1.94], p = .63). MRT engagement was low; 37% of those randomized to MRT received a minimum dose-that is, completed at least Step 3. In per-protocol analyses, this subgroup, relative to UC, improved more on criminal associates, days incarcerated, legal problem severity, and alcohol use severity., Conclusions: In this study, MRT was not more effective than UC at reducing recidivism risk for patients in mental health residential treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The paper explores the history and ethics of prison plastic surgery programs, which ran from the 1950s through as late as 1988 in the UK, the US, and Canada. I focus in particular on the Oakalla Prison, the Haney Young Offenders Correctional Unit, and the Kingston Penitentiary in Canada; the Huntsville Penitentiary in Texas; the Camp Hill Borstal in England; and the collaboration between Montifiore Hospital and Sing-Sing Prison in New York. Sometimes federally funded, these programs were designed to reduce rates of recidivism, operating under the notion that a changed face could lead to a changed character. The surgeries were rooted in a commitment to rehabilitation through medicine, offering participants access to surgery in exchange for good behavior, participation in an experimental protocol, and in some cases, providing training for medical students and residents. As I show, these programs were consonant with prevailing experimental and ethical ethos, and maintain deep continuity with the idea that changes in appearance could lead to changes in behavior., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Research has shown that as many as 60% of adults in the criminal justice system have a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), but the examination of effective interventions to reduce recidivism has only just begun. The present study explored the extent to which resource facilitation (RF) may decrease recidivism among those individuals with TBI., Methods: Over a 2-year period, a prospective, non-randomized controlled study was conducted that included 1,504 justice-involved individuals exiting the Indiana Department of Corrections (IDOC). Participants were screened for a history of TBI as they entered parole or community corrections, with 211 (14%) offenders screening positive for moderate-to-severe TBI. Thirty-one of the 211 offenders offered RF chose to participate in the intervention, while 180 declined and served as the comparison group., Results: Participants in RF were found to recidivate significantly less often at 6 and 12 months post-release when looking at rearrests or return to incarceration combined between the two groups., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the increased risk for reincarceration in those individuals with TBI could be mitigated by the use of RF.

Correctional and forensic mental health settings potentially have multiple risk assessment instruments administered on a single client. Because of the various methods of determining risk categories, risk-level consistency can become an issue. The Council of State Governments Justice Center developed a Five-Level System that can be applied to most risk assessment instruments. Using the Level of Service Inventory-Revised and two created risk assessment instruments, the present study assessed if the Five-Level System (vs. normative percentile categories) demonstrated greater agreement between the two instruments, and, if so, the percentage of greater agreement. The Five-Level System demonstrated 4% to 5% greater agreement for both risk-level placement and recidivism rates. The implications of this greater consistency among risk assessment instruments is an increased fairness in making risk-level assignments.

Background: Young adult offenders represent a third of the UK prison population and are at risk of poor health outcomes including drug and alcohol misuse, self-harm and suicide. Court diversion interventions aim to reduce the negative consequences of formal criminal justice sanctions and focus resources on addressing the root causes of offending. Although diversions are widely used, evidence of their effectiveness has not yet been established. Hampshire Constabulary, working together with local charities, have developed the Gateway programme, an out-of-court intervention aimed at improving the life chances of young adults. Issued as a conditional caution, participants undertake a health and social care needs assessment, attend workshops encouraging analysis of own behaviour and its consequences and agree not to re-offend during the 16-week caution., Methods: This is a pragmatic, multi-site, parallel-group, superiority randomised controlled trial with a target sample size of 334. Participants are aged 18-24, reside in Hampshire and Isle of Wight and are being questioned for an eligible low-level offence. Police investigators offer potential participants a chance to receive the Gateway caution, and those interested are also invited to take part in the study. Police officers obtain Stage 1 consent and carry out an eligibility check, after which participants are randomised on a 1:1 basis either to receive Gateway or follow the usual process, such as court appearance or a different conditional caution. Researchers subsequently obtain Stage 2 consent and collect data at weeks 4 and 16, and 1 year post-randomisation. The primary outcome is the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Secondary outcomes include health status, alcohol and drug use, recidivism and resource use. The primary analysis will compare the WEMWBS score between the two groups at 12 months., Discussion: This pioneering trial aims to address the evidence gap surrounding diversion in 18-24-year-olds. The findings will inform law enforcement agencies, third sector organisations, policymakers and commissioners, as well as researchers working in related fields and with vulnerable target populations., Trial Registration: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Register ( ISRCTN 11888938 )., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) uses meta-analyses to help program administrators identify effective programs that reduce recidivism. The results are displayed as summary effect sizes. Yet, many programs are grouped within a category (such as Intensive Supervision or Correctional Education), even though the features of the programs might suggest they may be very different. The following research question was examined: What program features are related to the effect size in the WSIPP program category? Researchers at ACE! at George Mason University reviewed the studies analyzed by WSIPP and their effect sizes. The meta-regression global models showed recidivism decreased with certain program features, while other program features actually increased recidivism. A multivariate meta-regression showed substantial variation across Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy programs. These preliminary findings suggest the need to further research how differing program features contribute to client-level outcomes, and develop a scheme to better classify programs.

Despite increasing interest in programming for perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV), the literature provides weak support for the effectiveness of these interventions. However, there are few studies that evaluate programs offered to felony IPV offenders who are serving prison sentences. This study uses a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of a prison-based implementation of a popular IPV intervention in reducing general and offense-specific recidivism among 169 men released from state prison in 2017. Because recidivism data were collected through early March 2019, the average follow-up period was approximately 20 months for both the control group and experimental group. Observable selection bias was minimized by using propensity score matching to create a comparison group of 169 nonparticipants released in 2017 who were not significantly different from the program participants. Cox regression models were used to predict general rearrest, reconviction, reincarceration, and supervised release revocation, as well as rearrest and reconviction for any violent offenses and rearrest and reconviction for domestic violence offenses in particular. No significant differences in any type of recidivism were found between the comparison group and those who participated in treatment, regardless of whether the participant completed or failed to complete the program. The findings suggest that the intervention is no more successful when offered within prisons than when offered in the community. The study concludes by making recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of prison-based domestic violence programming.

Taiwan has deemed driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) to be criminal, and offenders are subjected to fines and jail penalties without being offered alcohol-related treatment, although alcohol use problems are prevalent in this population. We followed the recidivism records of DUI repeat offenders for one year after they had received a newly established legal-medical joint intervention program for alcohol treatment and examined factors related to postintervention recidivism. In this study, 231 DUI repeat offenders with alcohol use problems screened out by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test were referred from the prosecutors' office to one psychiatric hospital for SBIRT-based alcohol treatment. We divided the participants into two groups based on the official recidivism records within the year following the end of treatment. The study used a Cox proportional hazards model to examine the hazard ratio of the baseline clinical characteristics and intervention duration for post-treatment recidivism. The study used generalized estimation equation models to examine changes in psychological symptoms and drinking behaviors over time. We found that participants who recidivated in the next year after intervention did not differ from those without recidivism records in all measurements except for the length of duration they stayed in treatment. Survival analysis determined that participants who had received the intervention for >4 months showed significantly lower rates of one-year postintervention recidivism rates The study participants showed improved psychological symptoms and drinking behaviors during the follow-up period. In conclusion, adequate duration of alcohol treatment is a significant factor associated with a lower risk of postintervention recidivism. The results provide some insight into the design of a collaborative program between legal and medical systems to reduce DUI recidivism and improve mental health of DUI repeat offenders., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The efficacy of sex offender treatment (SOT) is a matter of ongoing discussion and research in forensic psychotherapy. This study evaluates the efficacy of outpatient SOT after discharge from prison. Recidivism rates of participants treated in outpatient departments for sex offenders in Bavaria between 2008 and 2016 (treatment group, TG; n = 353) were compared with those of a matched group of released offenders without treatment (control group, CG; n = 353). The mean follow-up period was 4.5 years. The primary outcome of interest was whether the rates of reoffending differed significantly between the two groups. We compared general and specific rates of reoffending, time to reoffending, and type of reoffending. The groups differed significantly regarding the rates and time of violent reoffending and reoffending overall, but not regarding sexual reoffending respectively the type of sexual reoffending. The results indicate that outpatient SOT is effective in reducing the general but not the specific risk of reoffending., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

When children return to school from juvenile detention, they face a severe stigma. We developed a procedure to orient educators and students toward each other as positive relationship partners during this period. In Study 1, through a structured exercise, students reentering school powerfully articulated to an educator of their choosing their prosocial hopes for school as well as challenges they faced. In a preliminary field trial ( N = 47), presenting this self-introduction to this educator in a one-page letter via a third-party requesting the educator's help reduced recidivism to juvenile detention through the next semester from 69% to 29%. In Study 2 (preregistered), the letter led experienced teachers ( N = 349) to express greater commitment to, anticipate more success for, and feel more love and respect for a student beginning their reentry into school, potentially initiating a better trajectory. The results suggest how relationship-orienting procedures may sideline bias and make school more supportive for students facing stigma.

Background: Overdose deaths, addiction, and drug-related crime have increased in the United States over the past decade. Treatment improves outcomes, including reducing crime, but few individuals with addiction receive treatment. Here, we determine whether the Madison Addiction Recovery Initiative (MARI), a community policing program implemented by the City of Madison (Wisconsin) Police Department (MPD) that diverts adults who committed a non-violent, drug use-related crime from criminal prosecution to addiction treatment, reduces the risk of recidivism (i.e., an arrest) in the 6-month period following the index crime., Methods: Observational data were collected by the MPD for 12 months before through 6 months after an index crime from participants in the MARI program (n = 263) who referred to MARI between September 1, 2017 and August 31, 2020 and a Historical Comparison group (n = 52) who committed a comparable crime between September 1, 2015 and August 31, 2016. Average effects were estimated using intention-to-treat (ITT), a per-protocol, and a complier average causal effects (CACE) analyses, adjusted for covariates., Results: ITT analysis did not show that MARI assignment lowered adjusted odds of 6-month recidivism (aOR = 0.59 [0.32, 1.12], p = 0.11). Per-protocol analysis showed that completing MARI lowered the adjusted odds of 6-month recidivism (aOR = 0.23 [0.10, 0.52], p < 0.001). CACE analysis indicated that assignment to MARI among individuals who would complete the MARI program if assigned to the program lowered the adjusted odds of 6-month recidivism (aOR = 0.85 [0.80, 0.90], p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Diverting adults who committed a non-violent, drug use-related crime from criminal prosecution to addiction treatment may reduce 6-month recidivism., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Preventing and reducing domestic violence is a national and international social priority. Civil law protection orders (POs) have been the primary legal response to domestic violence internationally for a number of decades. However, evidence of their effectiveness is mixed due to variations in application within and across countries and variable quality of the research with most studies at high risk of bias. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of POs in reducing violation rates of domestic violence, compare violation rates reported by victims and police reports, and identify factors that influence violation and reoffense. Two electronic databases were searched; two independent researchers screened abstracts. Data were collected and assessed methodologically, using the Kmet Checklist Appraisal Tool and National Health and Medical Research Council Hierarchy of Evidence. Twenty-five studies that evaluated the effectiveness of POs in reducing recidivism in domestic violence met the eligibility criteria. Meta-analyses of weighted means of violation in the studies were conducted. Violation rates were found to be higher for victim reports compared with police reports. Violation rates were reduced when POs used in combination with arrests. PO violation rates were lower among perpetrators without histories of arrest for committing violence, perpetrators not engaging in stalking, and where couples have had medium to high incomes. There is no consensus among the studies about what the most appropriate methodology is to measure PO effectiveness. Future research should establish a more unified approach to evaluating the effectiveness and violations of POs.

Background: Repeat offending, also known as criminal recidivism, in people released from prison has remained high over many decades. To address this, psychological treatments have been increasingly used in criminal justice settings; however, there is little evidence about their effectiveness. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in prison to reduce recidivism after release., Methods: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Global Health, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar for articles published from database inception to Feb 17, 2021, without any language restrictions. We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effect of psychological interventions, delivered to adolescents and adults during incarceration, on recidivism outcomes after release. We excluded studies of solely pharmacological interventions and of participants in secure psychiatric hospitals or special residential units, or attending therapies mainly delivered outside of the prison setting. We extracted summary estimates from eligible RCTs. Data were extracted and appraised according to a prespecified protocol, with effect sizes converted to odds ratios. We used a standardised form to extract the effects of interventions on recidivism and estimated risk of bias for each RCT. Planned sensitivity analyses were done by removing studies with fewer than 50 participants. Our primary outcome was recidivism. Data from individual RCTs were combined in a random-effects meta-analysis as pooled odds ratios (ORs) and we explored sources of heterogeneity by comparing effect sizes by study size, control group, and intervention type. The protocol was pre-registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020167228., Findings: Of 6345 articles retrieved, 29 RCTs (9443 participants, 1104 [11·7%] females, 8111 [85·9%] males, and 228 [2·4%] unknown) met the inclusion criteria for the primary outcome. Mean ages were 31·4 years (SD 4·9, range 24·5-41·5) for adult participants and 17·5 years (SD 1·9; range 14·6-20·2) for adolescent participants. Race or ethnicity data were not sufficiently reported to be aggregated. If including all 29 RCTs, psychological interventions were associated with reduced reoffending outcomes (OR 0·72, 95% CI 0·56-0·92). However, after excluding smaller studies (<50 participants in the intervention group), there was no significant reduction in recidivism (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0·68-1·11). Based on two studies, therapeutic communities were associated with decreased rates of recidivism (OR 0·64, 95% CI 0·46-0·91). These risk estimates did not significantly differ by type of control group and other study characteristics., Interpretation: Widely implemented psychological interventions for people in prison to reduce offending after release need improvement. Publication bias and small-study effects appear to have overestimated the reported modest effects of such interventions, which were no longer present when only larger studies were included in analyses. Findings suggest that therapeutic communities and interventions that ensure continuity of care in community settings should be prioritised for future research. Developing new treatments should focus on addressing modifiable risk factors for reoffending., Funding: Wellcome Trust, Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Purpose of Review: We review the issues, controversies, and main findings from the sexual violence risk assessment literature with Indigenous men. An argument is presented for the incorporation of structured and validated risk assessment measures as part of a comprehensive assessment to inform risk management and the prevention of sexual violence., Recent Findings: Extant research demonstrates that Canadian Indigenous men convicted for sexual offenses tend to score higher on sexual violence risk measures and to have higher rates of sexual and violent recidivism. Established static and dynamic tools, however, have moderate predictive accuracy for sexual and violent recidivism and changes in risk from treatment or other change agents are associated with decreases in recidivism. Static-99R and the Violence Risk Scale-Sexual Offense version demonstrate acceptable properties of calibration for indigenous men with respect to sexual recidivism, although Indigenous men continue to show higher rates of violent recidivism associated with risk scores. The extant literature provides support for the discrimination and calibration properties of established static and dynamic sexual violence risk tools with Indigenous men; use of a dynamic tool is critical to inform risk management interventions and evaluate change. Risk measures are one component of a comprehensive and integrated assessment process that incorporates responsivity considerations, conducted in a culturally competent, ethical, and humane manner.

This meta-analysis updates the literature on the effectiveness of batterer intervention programs (BIPs) in decreasing recidivism of domestic violence (DV) by focusing on studies with nontreated comparison groups ( N = 17). Included studies were published between 1986 and 2016, and 14 of the 17 provided sufficient information for the meta-analysis. Analysis focused on three reported outcomes: DV recidivism reported by the criminal justice system, intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration assessed by the survivor, and general offense recidivism reported by the criminal justice system. Results of meta-analysis indicated that BIPs were effective in decreasing DV recidivism and general offense recidivism when reported by the criminal justice system, but not when assessed by the survivor. BIP participants were about 3 times less likely to have DV recidivism and about 2.5 times less likely to have general offense recidivism, compared to nontreated control/comparison groups. The pooled effect size varied, however, by research design. Specifically, results indicated a nonsignificant pooled effect size for randomized controlled trials but a significant pooled effect size for quasi-experimental design studies. Implications for future practice and research are discussed.