I. Question
An article by Antonowicz, & Ross (1994), sought to establish the essential components of successful rehabilitation programs in order to reduce recidivism rates among offenders. The authors of this study examined a large number of factors that are associated with success to establish if the presence or absence of some factors were related to the efficacy of the rehabilitation programs. The article included a total of 44 studies that dealt with offenders who were officially adjudicated. The studies were published between the year 1970 and the year 1991. These studies utilized experimental and quasi-experimental designs to come up with the research findings. The studies reported on outcome measures that were community based and mainly dealt with arrests, reconviction and reincarceration.
II. Design
The study provided a quantitative analysis of 44 prison programs aimed at rehabilitation, with the intent of avoiding reincarceration and reconviction. These studies followed individuals and the programs from 1970 to 1991. Certain factors were examined to determine if they have a quelling factor on recidivism rates.
III. Results
According to the article, the studies found out that only six traits were associated with the program effectiveness. The study findings established that rehabilitation programs need a sound conceptual framework. According to the article, the manner in which the concept of criminal behavior or delinquency is defined will establish what the intermediary goals of the program should have its focus on for the program to reduce recidivism. This ought to be the main target of the program. Moreover, the article established that every rehabilitation program must incorporate a number of methods in the intervention strategy in order for the program to be successful in rehabilitating offenders and reduce recidivism.
Besides, the article established that for rehabilitation programs to be successful in reducing recidivism in offenders the treatment programs should target the criminogenic needs of offenders. This implies that the programs must target specific factors that have been established to be linked with recidivism. This should be the foundation principle of such a rehabilitation program.
IV. Discussion
This article provides vital information on why the best opportunities for successful rehabilitation come about because of implementing programs that are grounded in the cognitive-behavioral model. Moreover, the program should target characteristics of offenders that are known to be associated with reoffending. This is because the programs need to be multifaceted and encompass role-playing, social cognitive skills, modeling and training. The programs are not supposed to be restricted to low risk clients or community settings.
V. Generalizations
Consequently, the article identifies the responsivity principle of rehabilitating offenders as being based on the program efficiency that relates to the matching styles and the means of service to the learning methods and abilities of offenders to be fully rehabilitated willingly in the program. Further, the article cites that it is necessary that the efficacy of the rehabilitation programs depend on the anti-criminal attitudes of the correctional workers and behaviors that are appropriate for the programs to meet the rehabilitation needs of the offenders. The article established that this is represented by modeling and role-playing methods that are valuable since these methods can be used as the foundation for training of compassion skills, social skills and interpersonal problem solving which are vital in making offenders to cope pro-socially alongside adverse or criminogenic environmental occurrences (Antonowicz, & Ross, 1994).
Additionally, the article theorizes that efficient correctional programs aimed at rehabilitating offenders encompass social cognitive skills for the program to have an impact on the offender’s mindset. This implies that correctional centers need to know that for programs to be effective, efforts should be made to teach offenders how to think before the people in charge of the program expect to modify what the offenders think (Antonowicz, & Ross, 1994).
References
Antonowicz, D., H., & Ross, R., R. (1994). Essential components of successful rehabilitation programs for offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, (38), 2.
