NCJ Number
173545
Date Published
1997
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This report provides an overview of issues related to the effective treatment of offenders in Canada's correctional system.
Abstract
Treatment responsiveness is comprised of two related constructs: treatability, a term used in forensic settings, and treatment effectiveness. The former describes aspects of motivation and treatment compliance, and the latter considers the assessment of treatment gain and the generalization of treatment effects. This paper integrates these constructs into a contemporary model to guide the development of an assessment protocol for use by clinicians and program staff in correctional settings. The resultant protocol is generic, thus permitting its application across a range of programs. Preliminary data presented in this paper support the protocol's utility, and recommendations are offered regarding its further development prior to implementation. The next step is the development of an interview-based assessment of treatment readiness to complement the Interpersonal Style Ratings and treatment evaluation. A set of user guidelines and more explicit scoring guidelines are under development, so that issues of reliability can be addressed. Plans are also underway to develop a training package and to implement the revised protocol in a range of correctional programs. This is the first step in an initiative to develop systematic assessment of process measures of treatment readiness and responsiveness and link then to criminogenic risk and need. 4 tables, 1 figure, and 41 references