How long did it last? A 10-year reconviction follow-up study of high intensity training for young offenders

Objectives: Most research has suggested that correctional boot camps are not very successful in reducing reoffending, but recent evidence has been more encouraging for programs that include significant rehabilitative components. In line with this, High Intensity Training (HIT) for offenders aged 18–21 at Thorn Cross Young Offender Institution in England was followed by a significant reduction in the number of reconvictions in a 2-year follow up. This article aims to evaluate the impact of the HIT program after 10 years. Methods: The evaluation used a quasi-experimental design in which male young offenders who received HIT were individually matched, on their risk of reconviction, to a comparison group who went to other prisons. Official reconviction data, including the prevalence, frequency, types, and costs of offenses were used as the outcome measures. Results: Offenders who received HIT had a significantly lower prevalence and frequency of reconvictions, but their superiority over the control group reduced over time (after about 4 years). However, the cumulative number of convictions that were saved increased steadily over time, from 1.35 per offender at 2 years to 3.35 per offender at 10 years. The cumulative cost savings also increased over time, and the benefit:cost ratio, based on fewer convictions, increased from 1.13 at 2 years to 3.93 at 10 years. Conclusions: The beneficial effects of the HIT program became more obvious over time. More randomized experiments and long-term follow-up research, including regular interviews, are needed to evaluate the cumulative and persisting effects of correctional interventions more accurately

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of young offender treatment programs in Europe

Objectives To examine the effectiveness of young offender rehabilitation programs in Europe as part of an international project on the transnational transfer of approaches to reducing reoffending. Methods A literature search of approximately 27,000 titles revealed 25 controlled evaluations that fulfilled eligibility criteria, such as treatment of adjudicated young offenders below the age of 25, equivalence of treatment and control groups, and outcomes on reoffending. In total, the studies contained 7,940 offenders with a mean age of 17.9 years. Results Outcomes in the primary studies ranged widely from odds ratio (OR)?=?0.58 to 6.99, and the mean effect was significant and in favor of treatment (OR?=?1.34). Behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatment ranked above average (OR?=?1.73), whereas purely deterrent and supervisory interventions revealed a slightly negative outcome (OR?=?0.85). Programs that were conducted in accordance with the risk–need–responsivity principles revealed the strongest mean effect (OR?=?1.90), which indicates a reduction of 16 % in reoffending against a baseline of 50 %. Studies of community treatment, with small samples, high program fidelity, and conducted as part of a demonstration project had larger effects; high methodological rigor was related to slightly smaller outcomes. Large effect size differences between evaluations from the UK and continental Europe disappeared when controlling for other study characteristics. Conclusions Overall, most findings agreed with North American meta-analyses. However, two-thirds of the studies were British, and in most European countries there was no sound evaluation of young offender treatment at all. This limits the generalization of results and underlines the policy need for systematic evaluation of programs and outcome moderators across different countries

Evidence-Based Interventions for Violent Behavior in Children and Adolescents

There are very few evidence-based interventions specifically for violent behavior in children and adolescents. However, interventions for antisocial behavior problems have shown some efficacy in violence reduction and are reviewed in detail in this chapter. Effective interventions attempt to target established risk factors and a number of these are outlined, including early onset of antisocial behavior, callous-unemotional traits, poor regulation of anger, family factors and peer influences. The implications of these risk factors for intervention approaches is explored and basic principles of intervention described. The chapter then describes specific interventions, for both children and adolescents, and reviews the evidence on their efficacy. It provides detailed descriptions of some of the most promising interventions using different approaches, in particular those for adolescents, and identifies interventions that have been shown not to work. The chapter concludes with a review of the current evidence base for interventions with children and adolescents with callous-unemotional traits