Book review: What Works in Offender Rehabilitation

OPEN IN VIEWER This book aims at a synthesis of the current state of knowledge about the effectiveness of correctional treatment over a range of approaches to intervening with offenders. It draws together 24 broadly descriptive papers from a variety of (Anglophone) jurisdictions. These are grouped into five parts as follows: The Introduction, with three chapters giving an overview of how the book is organized (by the editors), a review of What Works research and a discussion of US public attitudes to punishment and rehabilitation. Then follows a part on What Works in Offender Assessment with two chapters on the application of Risk−Need−Responsivity principles to offender assessment and intervention planning, and on assessing risk in sexual and violent offenders. Part III is called What Works in Offender Rehabilitation with twelve chapters on different aspects of intervention and offending. These cover the cognitive skills programmes introduced in England and Wales as part of the Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) and descriptions of work with a range of different types of offenders, classified by offence type or specific service needs. This part of the book finishes with a description of the Good Life Model, presented as an alternative to the Risk−Needs−Responsivity model for programme design and delivery. In Part IV, What Works in Secure Settings, there are three chapters on the institutional treatment of high risk offenders. Finally Part V considers Cultural Factors and Individual Approaches with chapters on service delivery to offenders from aboriginal groups in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and reviewing work on the criminogenic needs of sexual offenders, multi-agency approaches to risk management and therapy treatment of sexual offenders.

Perhaps inevitably, given the wide range of topics and settings covered, the chapters are uneven in quality. For example Hollin et al. give only a summarized review of the evaluation of the three cognitive behavioural programmes used in the CRP in England and Wales, which contrasts with Thornton and DDdrnton i elegant discussion (despite the lack of empirical evidence) of the treatment of what they term ‘hexually violent predators’. A further flaw is the range of technical terms and acronyms used in some chapters (e.g. Craig, Beech and Cortoni); doubtless these are transparent to specialists in the relevant field but are arguably opaque to more general readers. Some of the chapters (e.g. McGuirethe chapters (e.g.nsparent to specialists in the relevant field but are arguably opaque to more general readers.eaders.hes to intervening with ollustration of the need to transform the care we provide to young people in need Having said that, it means that each chapter can be read on its own as well as a part of a greater scheme and some chapters also deal with material that is less well known and accessible to non-specialists.

So, is this a book worth having? Well, it is always helpful to restate old findings and to present new ones and in that sense the book presents useful and sometimes positive summaries on current or recent practice in treatment and assessment. The presentation appears aimed more at providers and consumers of research than at practitioners. Some chapters, however, are relatively weak; sometimes because the available data appears under-analysed or because very little data is available, and there are perhaps too many chapters in Parts III and IV.

Does it work? Here I am less sure. The book is certainly comprehensive, if weakened by the lack of outcome data for several of the treatment issues it addresses, and such an overview is welcome. However it is not clear that the articles take us much further in developing positive leads for effective intervention. While the literature on CBT is well known and becomes more solid as the years pass and more studies are completed, this may not take us conceptually much further than Think First and similar programmes. Readers in England and Wales might appreciate (if not actually welcome) some more references to developments and practice here. For example, Bonta and Wormith discuss the use of assessment instruments to structure case management and intervention but really only review the development of the Level of Service Innovatory (LSI-R). OASys, which in theory attempts something similar, is not mentioned.

The diversity of opinion and the limited evidence about What Works for the specific offender groups covered in different chapters mean that this book does not really point to a better integration of different aspects of effective practice. Some themes do appear, however. CBT is really the only approach to give generally positive results. The Good Lives Model presented in Chapter 7 as the main competitor to CBT and the Risk-Needs-Responsivity model, may be theoretically attractive but is not (yet) supported by evidence. On the other hand there are many indications that current approaches are not enough, given the range and diversity of offenders’ needs and offending behaviour. Again the evidence base to guide further development is weak or non-existent. So while a lot has been done, there is much more to do.