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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 2:35 am
Time: 2:35 am
Results for therapeutic communities
2 results foundAuthor: King, Lucy Title: Tai Aroha – The First Two Years: A formative evaluation of a residential community based programme for offenders Summary: Since October 2007, the number of community-based sentencing options available to the judiciary increased. This led to an increase in the number of offenders in the community requiring rehabilitative interventions. Although the range of rehabilitative options increased, very few programmes focused on the highest risk offender group. Community Residential Centres (CRCs), such as Montgomery House, were originally established to deliver services for high risk offenders in the community but rarely did so, leaving a service gap. In addition, offenders attending the CRCs were on temporary release from prison rather than being permanently in the community. To address these issues, the Psychological Services of the Department developed and tested an intensive residential rehabilitation programme for male offenders serving community sentences. In November 2008, the Executive Management Team (EMT) agreed that this programme would be an open rolling programme with content based on the 300- hour programme delivered in the Special Treatment Units in prison (particularly the Violence Prevention Unit) and the Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme. It included a specific focus on the needs of Māori offenders. The Tai Aroha therapeutic community was based on the hierarchical model described by De Leon (20001). The format involved full residence (24 hours, 7 days per week) with an expected stay of 14 to 16 weeks. Offenders transitioned through 4 phases from orientation to full community living over the course of the programme. The core programme (including skills training) was based on best practice principles in offender rehabilitation and adhered to risk, needs and responsivity principles. Cognitive behavioural and relapse prevention informed treatment. Elements of the Good Lives Model were incorporated to enhance programme responsivity. Targets for treatment included: antisocial attitudes and offence-related thinking, antisocial and criminal associates, emotion and behaviour self-regulation difficulties, relationship problems (marital and family), impaired self-management and/ or problem solving skills, and alcohol and drug abuse. The programme was based on open group membership where new residents joined as former residents exited. To graduate residents had to complete assignments associated with each core module and achieve programme learning objectives. The design phase produced a complete group treatment programme containing 10 modules and related assignments. The modules were. 1. Assessment 2. Orientation (includes mindfulness and distress tolerance) 3. Aspirations 4. Life history and self-evaluation 5. Acceptance of responsibility/restructuring problem and offence-related thinking 6. Offence pathways 7. Emotional management 8. Substance abuse management 9. Relationship management 10. Relapse prevention. Details: Wellington, NZ: Psychological Services, Department of Corrections, 2012. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 15, 2013 at: http://www.corrections.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/641218/COR_Tai_Aroha_WEB.pdf Year: 2012 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.corrections.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/641218/COR_Tai_Aroha_WEB.pdf Shelf Number: 127965 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationCommunity Based CorrectionsPsychological ServicesRehabilitationTherapeutic Communities |
Author: O'Keefe, Marueen Title: Effectiveness of Arrowhead and Peer I Therapeutic Communities Summary: The therapeutic community (TC) model has been widely implemented in response to the demand for more treatment options for offenders. The effectiveness of the TC in reducing drug use and criminal behavior among offender populations has made it one of the preferred treatment modalities in prisons and community corrections programs. Success of the TC modality in effectively treating substances abusers has been linked to the programs' ability to retain clients. The longer the clients remain in treatment the lower their chance of recidivating. Fixed and dynamic client factors have been studied to determine their predictive ability in helping to retain clients. Although dynamic factors appear to be better predictors, results are often sporadic. Research has also discovered the most prominent factors contributing to successful outcomes include appropriate matching of client needs to programming, retention and length of stay, and a continuum of care. Study Goals The objective of the present study aims to establish the effectiveness of Colorado's implementation of the prison plus community TC model by examining different factors in three distinct studies. The two programs evaluated in these studies are the substance abuse TC at the Arrowhead Correctional Center (ACC) and the Peer I TC. Together these programs provide a continuum of care for high risk substance abusing felons. - Study 1: Examined factors related to retention in the ACC TC where a high percentage of inmates do not complete the program. - Study 2: Analyzed the outcomes of felons with varying amounts of treatment and examined client factors related to successful outcomes post-prison release. This is a large scale analysis of quantitative data comparing study groups with different levels of involvement in the TC programs across multiple outcome variables, including rearrest and return to prison. - Study 3: Explored potential barriers and supports that offenders face when returning to the community and how this might impact their outcomes. Findings Effectiveness of TC Model in Colorado. Results found that offenders who complete the ACC TC and continue on to Peer I have the lowest rate of community supervision failures (i.e., return to prison or rearrest for new crime) at 1- and 2-year follow up periods. Even though the effect declines over time, a continuum of intensive prison and community services significantly reduces recidivism risk over longer follow-up periods. - The group who participated in both TCs had a 78% reduction in 1-year recidivism and a 42% reduction in 2-year recidivism over an untreated comparison group. - Participants who successfully completed ACC TC but had no community TC involvement showed reductions of 12% and 14% for the 1-year and 2-year outcomes, respectively. - Participants who received treatment only at Peer I TC showed reductions of 10% and 3% for 1-year and 2-year outcomes respectively. - Participants who unsuccessfully terminated from the ACC TC had similar rates of recidivism as the control group. Client Profiles. No stable client profiles emerged from the results that would predict outcomes; however there do appear to be personality traits that distinguish those who are more likely to complete treatment from those who do not. - Clients who quit or expelled from the ACC TC were less likely to be married and more likely to exhibit narcissistic personality disorder, schizotypal and paranoid personality disorders, and early childhood conduct problems. This personality profile typifies individuals who may find it difficult to adapt to and succeed in the TC environment because of the specific treatment techniques employed. - Motivation was not found to have a statistical relationship with retention in the ACC TC. This finding is in contrast to the findings in Study 2 which found that motivation played a role in group membership, meaning participants attending both TC programs were more highly motivated. Factors Related to Successful Outcomes. Offenders releasing to the community from prison face a great number of challenges and barriers, including criminal justice supervision, employment, housing, and finances. In addition, their addiction poses a great risk to their ability to remain in the community; relapse is highly correlated with return to prison. Successful participants indicated that they had made an internal decision to change; correspondingly, their decisions relating to criminal justice supervision, employment, housing, and other transition barriers were made with recovery foremost in their thinking. - Finding initial employment and housing was not reported as a challenge for participants; they did not view their felony status as an obstacle in finding either. However, in the future as they seek more desirable positions and living arrangements their backgrounds might prove more problematic. - Motivation as measured herein was not statistically related to outcomes. However, case study participants with successful outcomes expressed high levels of internal and external motivation in contrast to those who were unsuccessful. - The ability to find and maintain positive social support was critical to successful outcomes in the community. Individuals who returned to old neighborhoods and peer groups or had family members with addiction or criminal involvement tended to return to their old patterns of behavior. Details: Colorado Springs, CO: Colorado Department of Corrections; University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, 2004. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 23, 2016 at:http://hermes.cde.state.co.us/drupal/islandora/object/co%3A3042/datastream/OBJ/view Year: 2004 Country: United States URL: http://hermes.cde.state.co.us/drupal/islandora/object/co%3A3042/datastream/OBJ/view Shelf Number: 146053 Keywords: Correctional ProgramsRecidivismRehabilitationTherapeutic CommunitiesTreatment Programs |