GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY

Group Psychotherapy

Group Psychotherapy

Traditionally, the term "best practices" in corrections has referred to the status quo of intervention and treatment--the models in place that were being used to treat generations of offenders based on the conventional understanding and experience of those in the field. Unfortunately, many of these programs were misguided in their attempts to reform offenders and resulted in little desirable behavioral change. However, similar to the zeitgeist seen in the field of psychology as a whole during the past few decades, correctional clinicians have recently been paying increased attention to the integration of science and practice in their work. Consequently, the idea of best practices in corrections is evolving toward using quality research results to inform decisions about interventions and treatment.

Best practices in intervention with, and the treatment of, offenders include the use of evidenced-based practices (EBPs) and empirically supported treatments (ESTs). EBPs are a comparatively more global set of principles that incorporate the characteristics and therapeutic needs of offenders into the design of an intervention program that is focused on recidivism prevention. EBPs are what is traditionally associated with the idea of best practices in corrections. ESTs, on the other hand, can work as a facet of an EBP model when designed specifically to affect recidivism risk, or can be used outside of the recidivism prevention model to address the goal of symptom amelioration for mental health disorders in offender populations. The use of ESTs in the treatment of psychological disorders is an extension of the traditional concept of best practices, in that it does not focus on recidivism prevention. However, the incorporation of ESTs into the notion of best practices is responsive to the role of many clinicians in corrections who spend the majority of their time focusing on the treatment of psychological disorders in offenders.

The use of EBPs for recidivism prevention and ESTs for symptom amelioration in corrections are two components of best practices that are complementary to one another, with both emphasizing the use of treatment/intervention models derived from scientific research that are focused on measurable outcomes.

Over the years, there has been a lot of focus on what does not work in corrections, with some researchers claiming that nothing works in rehabilitating offenders to avoid recidivism. However, an increase in controlled research indicating a positive effect of correctional treatment has been seen in recent decades. Studies examining the common features of successful programs have discovered principles to follow in developing effective interventions that will significantly affect the likelihood of criminal recidivism. EBP entails the use of these principles in the development of a recidivism prevention program.

According to the Crime and Justice Institute report Implementing Evidence-Based Practice in Community Corrections: The Principle of Effective Intervention, one of the first principles of EBP is to assess the risk (likelihood of reoffending) and needs of offenders using actuarial means. Risk is assessed to determine treatment candidates, with the higher-risk cases being prioritized for treatment. Next, a needs assessment should ascertain the dynamic factors that ...