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Evaluation of the persistently violent offender treatment program
Ralph C Serin1, Renée Gobeil, Denise L Preston
1Carleton University, Department of Psychology, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ralph_serin@carleton.ca
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
|February 19, 2008
Summary
The Persistently Violent Offender program showed no significant improvements over alternative treatments or noncompletion for violent offenders. This study evaluated treatment effectiveness for Canadian male violent offenders.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Forensic Psychology
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Criminal justice interventions for violent offenders have shifted towards social information processing skills.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of specific rehabilitation programs is crucial for improving outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a multimethod evaluation of the Persistently Violent Offender program.
- To compare the program's effectiveness against an alternative program and program noncompletion.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 256 Canadian male violent offenders.
- Comparison of 70 program completers with two control groups (n=33, n=105) and noncompleters (n=48).
- Assessment of changes in treatment targets, institutional misconduct, and postrelease returns to custody.
Main Results:
- Few significant differences were observed among the groups.
- The Persistently Violent Offender program did not demonstrate superiority over the alternate program or program noncompletion.
- Outcomes related to treatment targets, misconduct, and recidivism were comparable across groups.
Conclusions:
- The Persistently Violent Offender program's effectiveness was not supported by this evaluation.
- Findings suggest a need to re-evaluate current intervention strategies for violent offenders.
- Results are discussed in the context of other recent, more promising evaluations of similar programs.
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