PreventionIntervention

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Prevention/Intervention
Simon T. Tidd, Ph.D.
Tennessee Criminal Justice Summit November 15th,
2004
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Publics Support for Crime Prevention/Reduction
Approaches to Prevention/Intervention
Understanding the Evidence Base
Promising Directions
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Willingness to Pay for 10 Reduction in Crime
Now I want to ask you how much of your own money
you would be willing to pay to reduce certain
crimes. In each case, I am going to ask you to
vote yes or no to a proposal that would
require your household and each household in your
community to pay money to prevent crime in your
community
Source Cohen, Rust, Steen, Tidd (2004).
Willingness-To-Pay for Crime Control Programs.
Criminology, 42 (1), 89-109.
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Average Households Contribution
Burglary Serious Assault Armed Robbery Rape
Sexual Assault Murder
104
121
110
126
146
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Aggregate Cost of Crime
Burglary Serious Assault Armed Robbery Rape
Sexual Assault Murder
25,000
70,000
232,000
237,000
9,700,000
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Four Central Themes in Treatment/Intervention

• Personal or Interpersonal Change

• External Controls/Surveillance

• Life Skills Development

• Specialized Offender Types

Source Palmer (1992). The Re-Emergence of
Correctional Intervention. Newbury Park, CA Sage.
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The What Works? Debate

• Nothing Works Martinson, 1974

• All Is Not Lost

• A Contingency Perspective

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Adult Offender Programs (N294)
250
200
Mean 0.09608
Std. Dev. 0.262078
N 1,448
150
100
50
0
-1.000
-0.500
0.000
0.500
1.000
EFFECT SIZE
Source Unpublished data. Center for Evaluation
Research and Methodology, Vanderbilt Institute
for Public Policy Studies.
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The What Works? Debate

• Nothing Works Martinson, 1974

• All Is Not Lost

• A Contingency Perspective

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How Do We Know What is Effective?
Research Evidence

• Study Design
• Sample
• Outcomes

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• Study Design
• Single Group
• Treatment vs. Control Group
• Randomized
• Matched
• Non-Equivalent

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• Outcome
• All vs Specific Offenses
• Timeframe
• Decrease vs Elimination of Behavior
• Distal vs Proximal Effect

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• Sample
• Risk Level
• Needs
• Socio-demographics
• Location/region

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Other Factors Impacting Effectiveness
Implementation
Washington States Study of Functional Family
Therapy
Functional Family Therapy Comprehensive family
based therapeutic intervention for youths and
their families
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Source Washington States Implementation of
Functional Family Therapy for Juvenile Offenders
Preliminary Findings (2002). Document No.
02-08-1201. Washington State Institute for Public
Policy.
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Source Washington States Implementation of
Functional Family Therapy for Juvenile Offenders
Preliminary Findings (2002). Document No.
02-08-1201. Washington State Institute for Public
Policy.
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Effective vs. Efficient

• Program Cost vs. Benefits
• Equally effective and less expensive?

Adult Boot Camps
Net effect size of zero
Cost savings of between 3,500 and 10,000
Sources The comparative costs and benefits of
programs to reduce crime (2001). Document No.
01-05-1201. Washington State Institute for Public
Policy. MaxKenzie, Wilson, Kider (2001).
Effects of correctional boot camps on offending.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and
Social Science, 578 (November), 126-143.
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Sources MaxKenzie, Wilson, Kider (2001).
Effects of correctional boot camps on offending.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and
Social Science, 578 (November), 126-143.
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Cognitive Behavioral Interventions

• Distorted Cognitions or Thinking Errors
• Self-Justification
• Misinterpretation of Social Cues
• Deficient Moral Reasoning
• Schemas of Dominance or Entitlement

Source Lipsey, Chapman, Landenberger (2001).
Cognitive-Behavioral Programs for Offenders.
Annals of the American Academy of Political and
Social Science, 578 (November), 144-157.
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Conclusions