Gary Hill The Czech Institute of Criminology and Social Prevention Prague, Czech – September 2010 Use of Evidence Based Practices

or Why the work of organizations such as the Institute of Criminology and Social Prevention is important in today’s era of limited budgets and high incarceration rates. Three Examples  Treatment of sex offenders  Treatment programs and long sentences  Confinement of terrorist suspects and prisoners

Use of Evidence Based Practices What are EBP’s? – The Integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of client characteristics, culture, and preferences. – American Psychological Association (2006). – Within the EBP trinity, research stands as the primary source of evidence

The EBP Trinity Research Client Characteristics, Culture, and Preferences Clinical Expertise

Use of Evidence Based Practices Why use EBP’s? – EBP’s should increase the efficacy, efficiency, and applicability of mental health services provided to clients and/or client groups. – With sex offenders, the EBP’s should result in lower recidivism rates, fewer victims of sexual abuse/violence, and more efficient use of state resources.

Sex Offender Treatment Research Does Treatment Work with Sex Offenders? – Research is now consistently demonstrating lower recidivism rates with treated sex offenders compared to untreated sex offenders (Hanson, Burgon, Helmus, & Hodgson, 2009). – Sex offenders that do not complete treatment have higher recidivism rates (Losel & Schmucker, 2005; Hanson et. al., 2002).

Sex Offender Community Supervision Research 2005 (Wilson et. al.) study reported a 70% lower recidivism rate than a matched group that did not participate in COSA 2008 (Wilson et. al.) study (N=47) of COSA reported sexual recidivism of 2.1%, and general recidivism of 10.6% over a 2 year 9 month period.

Nothing Works → “Get Tough on Crime” – Longer Sentences – The facts beg to differ. Fifty studies involving 336,052 offenders between 1958 and 1993 agreed with even newer studies that indicate that with high risk offenders, those who spend a longer time in prison have a higher rate of recidivism than their counterparts who spend less time. For lower risk offenders the longer the time in prison the higher the rate of recidivism.

For both high and low risk offenders, there was virtually no difference in recidivism between those treated in the community and those sentenced to prison However, community was a great deal less expensive to obtain the same result

Offenders convicted of terrorist offences must be kept in isolation and separated from inmates with similar convictions An example from Israel In general “Security prisoners” are entitled to all inmates rights in prison and his rights as a human being and as a civilian are preserved while in prison Terrorists!

The classification of terror inmates as security inmates aimed mainly To enable the system to limit the communication with outside world

The classification of terror inmates as security inmates aimed mainly To enable the system to limit the communication with outside world

Use of phones Home leaves Visitation conditions

Personal belongings limitations > PC, VCR, Tape,

A Security Inmate Is entitled to unlimited lawyers visits > Palestinian inmates are entitled to visits by Palestinian lawyers

A Security Inmate Is entitled to unlimited RC visits

A Security Inmate Is entitled to receive money from the Palestinian Authority (Provided that these deposits will be done equally to all Palestinian inmates, penal & security inmates)

A Security Inmate Is entitled to study academic studies in the Israeli Open University (subject to security guide lines) A Security Inmate Is entitled to study matriculation studies

A Security Inmate Is entitled to be represented by one inmate elected to be a speaker by the inmates

An Israeli Security Inmate Is entitled to full social treatment and rehabilitation services A Security Inmate Is entitled to social treatment when he is in emotional stress

Summary Tight budgets = We can afford only programs and security measures PROVED efficient and effective. Correctional legislation = We can afford, in money and public policy, only sentences that help us reach or stated goals – the job of the legislators is to define those goals: – Rehabilitation = programs – Recidivism and less crime = shorter, rather than longer sentences

Thank you! Gary Hill PO Box Lincoln, Nebraska USA