What Works Effective Recidivism Reduction and Risk-Focused Prevention Programs A Compendium of Evidence-Based Options for Preventing New and Persistent Criminal Behavior Prepared for the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice RKC Group Roger Przybylski February, 2008 What Works Effective Recidivism Reduction and Risk-Focused Prevention Programs A Compendium of Evidence-Based Options for Preventing New and Persistent Criminal Behavior February, 2008 RKC Group Roger Przybylski Prepared for Division of Criminal Justice Jeanne M. Smith, Director Colorado Department of Public Safety Peter A. Weir, Executive Director 700 Kipling Street, Suite 1000 Denver, CO 80215 303.239.4442 http://dcj.state.co.us This project was supported by Grant 2004-DB-BX-0033 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance through DCJ’s Office of Adult and Juvenile Assistance. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the federal Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice. ( ) * + , - . ( / ) * Y + , - \j . ( /Contents ) Z Y * Page Page Incarceration and its Impact \j Executive Summary 1 + on Crime 23 Method 1 ( Figure 4.1. Average Daily Findings 1 Inmate Population 23 What Works in Reducing Recidivism 2 Figure 4.2. State Prison Incarceration Rate 24 What Works at Preventing the Onset of Z , Impact of Incarceration on Crime 24 Criminal Behavior 3 ) Bottom line 4 Does incarceration work to reduce the crime rate? 26 Incarceration and Crime: Summary 26 Introduction 5 -* Diminishing Returns 27 ( Community Impacts 27 Primary Audience and Purpose ( of the Report 5 Impact on Children 27 Structure of the Report 8 Prison and Recidivism 28 +. Research on Desistance from Crime 29 ) Promoting Desistance from Crime 29 The Evidence-Based Concept and its Application 11 ) Effective Recidivism Origins of the Evidence-Based Movement 11 ( Reduction Programs 35 Standards of Evidence 12 /, * Impact of Rehabilitation Services Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 13 on Recidivism 35 The Role of Economic Evaluation 14 * Principles of Effective Intervention 36 ) Common Approaches to + Economic Evaluation 14 -Y Education and Vocational Programs 38 Do Educational and Vocational Programs Work? 39 + Method 17 * Other Factors 42 Review Process 17 \j. , What Was Considered? Review Protocol 17 Substance Abuse Treatment 42 , Colorado Program Evaluations 19 Figure 5.2. Number of CDOC Inmates + Framework 19 Incarcerated for a Drug Offense 42 - /Z Treatment Effectiveness 43 -, . Y iii . /- \j / Y. Z Y \j/ \j YZ \jZ Z ( ) ( * ) * +What Works Page ( Page Effective Recidivism ( The Colorado MST Outcomes Reduction Programs (cont.) +( Tracking Project 70 , The Colorado Youthful Offender System 71 Figure 5.3. Changes in Criminal Activity Before vs. After Treatment 44 The Colorado Division of ) Youth Corrections Continuum A Few Cautionary Points 45 ,) of Care Initiative 72 - Treatment as an Alternative to Prison 46 ) Restorative Justice 72 Evaluations of Substance-Abuse Programs for Offenders in Colorado 46 * Effective Early Prevention Table 5.1. CDOC Therapeutic Programs 83 Community (TC) Evaluation 47 -* . * Figure 6.1. Risk and Protective Factors 84 Drug Courts 47 Home Visits during Infancy 85 Do Drug Courts Work? 49 + Preschool Programs 87 + Table 6.1. Chicago Child-Parent Center Sex Offender Treatment 51 . / + 19-Year Post-Program Follow-up 90 Treatment Effectiveness 51 Parent Management Training 91 An Evaluation of the Colorado , Child Social Skills Training 94 Department of Corrections’ , School-Based Programs 94 Therapeutic Community for / Truancy Programs 99 Y Sex Offenders 53 , Community-Based Programs 100 The Containment Approach for Managing Sex Offenders 54 - Peer Programs 102 Effectiveness of the Containment Model 54 -Y The Blueprints for Violence Prevention 103 - Figure 6.2. Blueprints for Violence \j Mental Health Programs 55 Prevention Model Programs 103 Many offenders suffer from . mental illness 55 . The challenge for corrections 56 \j . Implementation Issues 111 Z What do we know about the effectiveness of programs in these areas? 57 / Summary 115 Diversion 57 /Z ACT in Colorado 58 / The CDOC Modified Therapeutic Bibliography 119 Community for Offenders with Y Mental Illness and Chemical Abuse Disorders 59 Y Evaluation of the CDOC MTC 60 Y Supported employment and supportive housing 60 \j Cognitive-Behavioral Programs 61 \j Specific Program Models 62 Effectiveness 64 Z Juvenile Offender Programs 67 Z Evidence of Program Effectiveness 69 iv ( ) * + , - . / Y Executive Summary \j This report identifies and describes interventions that are Findings effective in reducing recidivism and preventing crime. The primary audience is the Colorado Commission on Criminal Incarceration and Crime and Juvenile Justice, and the primary goal of this compen- Z dium is to assist the Commission in carrying out its mission Given the increased use of incarceration as a crime con- and statutory duties. These duties include investigating trol strategy, the review begins with a summary of recent evidence-based recidivism reduction initiatives and cost- research on the impact of incarceration on crime. The effective crime prevention programs. studies reviewed and findings presented are not Colorado- specific. • Incarceration clearly prevents crimes by removing The primary audience is the offenders from the community. Estimates of the num- Colorado Commission on Criminal ber of crimes prevented vary, but an annual average and Juvenile Justice, and the of about 15 crimes per offender has been cited by two primary goal of this compendium rigorous studies. is to assist the Commission in u Most crimes prevented through incapacitation are carrying out its mission and duties. property crimes. u The preventive effect of incapacitation on drug crimes is likely offset by a replacement effect in Descriptions of the findings presented in this summary can be the community. That is, other offenders quickly found in the body of the report where relevant studies are ref- replace incarcerated drug offenders. erenced. Complete citations can be found in the bibliography. • Research examining the impact of incarceration on Method crime rates has produced disparate results. Nevertheless, the following conclusions can be drawn from the most This report is based on a comprehensive and systematic rigorous studies. review of the criminology literature on what works to reduce u recidivism or prevent the onset of delinquent and criminal The relationship between incarceration and crime behavior. Information was obtained by reviewing evaluation rates is quite complex. The fact that crime rates and other reports on correctional interventions and early, have declined in recent years while incarceration risk-focused prevention programs operating in the United rates have increased is not conclusive evidence that States and Canada. To identify what works, both quality the increased use of imprisonment caused the drop and consistency of the evidence was considered. Quality in crime or that incarceration is cost-effective rela- was addressed by basing the conclusions presented here on tive to other crime control strategies. In fact, the the latest and most rigorous scientific evidence available. relationship between higher rates of imprisonment Consistency was addressed by focusing on research that and crime rates is quite uneven across time and synthesized the evaluation results from many studies jurisdictions. and programs. u The conclusions reached by several recent, highly rigorous studies are remarkably consistent in finding 1 What Works that a 10% higher incarceration rate was associated What Works in Reducing Recidivism with a 2% to 4% reduction in the crime rate. More than 30 years of research has produced a body of evi- u The drop in crime that most jurisdictions experi- dence that clearly demonstrates that rehabilitation programs enced in the 1990s is primarily due to factors other work. A variety of programs, properly targeted and well-im- than incarceration. Studies that have focused on plemented, can reduce recidivism and enhance public safety. explaining the drop in crime have consistently con- cluded that incarceration has played a role in the • Education and vocational programming. Based crime drop but that social, policing and other factors on the scientific evidence, education and vocational together are responsible for at least two-thirds and training programs work. Meaningful work is an arguably much more of the overall crime decline. important contributor to reductions in offending. These programs • Research shows little evidence that incarceration has a positive effect on later reoffending. u Increase the rate of employment for ex-offenders. u Rigorous studies have shown that incarceration u Reduce recidivism. is associated with higher rates of recidivism when u Provide a positive return on investment. compared with community-based sanctions. u Longer prison sentences are also linked to higher rates of recidivism. A variety of programs, properly u Recent research has begun to examine the collateral targeted and well-implemented, costs of incarceration on children of prisoners, and can reduce recidivism and enhance the longer-term costs to disadvantaged communities. public