Responsivity: the value of providing intensive services to high-risk offenders.
Tests of the importance of service matching have had varying results, yet little attention has been given to testing the hypotheses about outcomes for clients based on differing risks to recidivate. We set out to test the risk and responsivity principles using a sample of clients from one site of a four-site randomized block experimental design study examining the effectiveness of a seamless system approach vs. traditional criminal justice supervision. Findings from our preliminary examination of official and self-report data from this site suggest the importance of the risk and responsivity concepts in providing substance abuse treatment, particularly for high-risk clients. Because of the relatively low statistical power of the tests employed in this exploratory analysis, many observed relationships were not statistically significant. Nonetheless, findings offer important implications for the delivery of substance abuse treatment. Future analyses are also recommended to further explore the impact of different service delivery systems.
Bureau of Governmental Research, University of Maryland College Park, 4511 Knox Road, Suite 301, College Park, MD 20740, USA. mthanner@bgr.umd.edu
Meridith H
MH
Thanner
Faye S
FS
Taxman
D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011897:Random Allocation; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*