Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence, ACE! Department of Criminology, Law & Society George Mason University Faye Taxman, Ph.D. University Professor

Two theories of systemic programming Programs need attention to quality, especially in terms of implementation of the core program Or Programs need to add components (i.e. behavioral, control, etc.) to be responsive to offender needs 2

Systemic Responsivity Refers to having an array of programming available in a given jurisdiction that matches the risk-need profile of the individual offenders (Taxman, 2014)  Are the programs and services suitable given the probationer profiles?  Does the programming include services to stabilize the person in the community e.g. mental health, housing, food, employment, etc.)  Does your programs embrace evidence based practices?  Does your probation/parole agency embrace evidence based practices? 3

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Responding to Risk and Needs 5 How well do the programs adhere to EBPs? How well does my system address risk- needs of offenders? What type of risk/needs does a particular Person need?

Synthetic Database (20,000+ profiles) for individual, program, & system estimates of recidivism reduction Base Recidivism Rate Reflect Expected Reductions in Recidivism (from Meta- Analysis) 6

Responding to Risk and Needs: Assess an Individual 7

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Program Tool Factors Target Population Program Goals Program Theory Client Level Factors ▫Spectrum of Needs/Severity of Program Needs ▫Developmental Factors (e.g., age, gender, cognitive, physical) Program Structure Program Dosage (a lot unknown, clinical literature) Implementation Issues ▫Staffing ▫Fidelity Monitoring, Training ▫Quality Assurance 9 9

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Program Distribution (n=19) 11

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DV Programs Programs fell into two categories: ▫Group C (Self-Improvement & Management) for programs with more therapeutic approaches ▫Group D (Interpersonal Skills) for programs emphasizing peer support and education Programs average scores were higher than non- DV programs All programs meet 1x/week for 1 year, per statute; length of sessions varies 14

DV Scores by Domain: More structured programs (C) scored higher 15

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Snapshot of Probationers’ Major Needs 17 (source: Overall Sample, n=4,474)

Estimated Responsivity Gap 18 Greatest unfulfilled needs are cognitive restructuring programs, mental health, co- occurring disorders, and substance abuse

Responsivity Gaps in Substance Dependence Programming 19 Green Bar= Available Programming for General Population Red Bar=Need for Programming among General Population

Responsivity Gap in Cognitive Restructuring Programming (Criminal Thinking) 20 Green Bar= Available Programming for General Population Red Bar=Need for Programming among General Population

Responsivity Gap in Self-Management Programming (Drug Abuse, Co- Occurring Disorder) 21 Green Bar= Available Programming for General Population Red Bar=Need for Programming among General Population

Multiple Programming Needs Among Substance Dependent 20% of General Population has Dependence plus: ▫37% have mental health disorder ▫38% have few (0-2) stabilizing factors  Stabilizing factors can include 30+ hours employment, high school diploma, supportive family, housing stability ▫About 40% of those in need of SUD programming need other services and high dosage programming 22

Multiple Programming Needs Among Criminal Thinking/Restructuring Programming 56% with criminal thinking plus: ▫41% are high risk; 22% are moderate risk ▫53% are substance abusers too ▫36% have mental health needs ▫37% have a number of destabilizing factors— housing, food insecurity, mental health, employment About 50% need other programming besides criminal thinking and high dosage 23

Multiple Programming Needs among those with Substance Abuse 53% abuse drugs (do not meet criteria for dependence) plus: ▫42% are high risk; 22% are moderate risk ▫37% have a mental health diagnosis ▫56% exhibit criminal thinking ▫38% have few (0-2) stabilizing factors Nearly 50% need programming for other criminogenic needs 24

Local Change Team Components of Programming vs. Specific Areas of Program Quality Use information on the program to determine if it is the structure of the program (what is your RNR score?) OR the ability to meet client needs (what is your responsiveness?) Develop a plan of action Implement the action plan 25

Implementation Issues (Common) Consistent Staffing Failure to provide Quality Assurance ▫Plan ▫Do ▫Study ▫Act 26

Program Components High-need clients need greater intensity of treatment. Front-load services Integrate “criminal thinking” programming Ensure that probation officer and treatment providers understand common goals and reinforce each other. Use reward-sanctions grid and track whether it is being followed. ▫Plan: what are the 3 major needs? ▫Do: what does you program have available and what can you “beg” ▫Study: how can you get the services ▫Act: how to put in place 27

Questions and Next Steps 28