Effect of Moral Reconation Therapy on the Recidivism of Youthful Offenders: A Randomized Experiment

• NCJ Number: 203239
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 30 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2003 Pages: 668-687
• Author(s): Todd A. Armstrong
• Date Published: December 2003
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): DLE-97-362
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This document discusses the effect of moral reconation therapy (MRT) on the recidivism rates of youth offenders.

Abstract

This study tested the portability of the MRT program. MRT is based on a simplified personality theory that combines elements of ego development, hierarchy of needs, moral development theories, and the work of Carl Jung. This personality theory proposes that people form their personalities through a progressive accumulation of beliefs, attitudes, and habits that layer themselves over the “inner self,” the essential essence of the person. This perspective posits that criminal and delinquent behaviors are defense mechanisms that are a reaction to tension that is a product of conflict between the personality and the inner self. The primary goal of MRT is the moral development of the treatment client. In the study, MRT was implemented by criminal justice personnel in the Montgomery County (Maryland) Detention Center beginning in January of 1997. MRT was implemented as the core component of the Youthful Offender Unit (YOU), which housed approximately 40 offenders and was created as a response to increases in disorderly conduct associated with youth offenders in the Detention Center. The results demonstrate that the ability of criminal justice system personnel to implement a treatment program needs to be carefully considered before that program can be labeled effective and implemented on a large scale. It appears that real-world programs are only half as effective in reducing recidivism as are demonstration projects. Policymakers need to be mindful of the distinction between demonstration projects and real-world programs. This distinction is particularly important in the case of the MRT program. The assessment of the real-world implementation of the MRT program suggests that the program lacks portability and that its widespread implementation may have been premature. Future efforts should continue to test the portability of rehabilitation programs. 6 tables, 5 notes, 20 references