Correctional Rehabilitation Services, Intensity of

A fundamental understanding within the scope of correctional rehabilitation services is that correctional interventions and programs can effectively reduce the probability of an offender engaging in subsequent criminal behavior (i.e., recidivism). However, it is also understood that the effects of correctional treatment programs are heterogeneous; not all programs are equally effective, and some programs work better than others. The most effective correctional programs seem to be based on several essential principles of effective intervention, especially the risk principle, which is the most empirically validated. This principle, part of the Risk-Need-Responsivity model of correctional intervention, explains that correctional rehabilitation services are most effective when the intensity, or amount, of treatment matches an offender’s level of risk. Specifically, high-risk offenders should be exposed to the most intensive ...