A review of the evidence base for Risk-Need-Responsivity principles was recently conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Oxford (UK), University of Konstanz (Germany), and Iowa State University (US). The article, “An updated evidence synthesis on the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model: Umbrella review and commentary” was written by Seena Fazel, Connie Hurton, Matthias Burghart, Matt DeLisi, and Rongqin Yu, and published in the Journal of Criminal Justice (Vol. 92, May ー June 2024). The authors indicate that RNR may lack adequate support for its viability, citing mixed-quality evidence that lacks transparency and shows authorship bias, and prior reviews of the evidence being … [Read more...] about Summary: Umbrella review and commentary on an updated evidence synthesis of the Risk-Need-Responsivity model
Discussion: An Expert Panel Responds to the Umbrella Review of the Risk-Need-Responsivity Model by Seena Fazel, et al.
The recently published study “An updated evidence synthesis on the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model: Umbrella review and commentary” by Seena Fazel, Connie Hurton, Matthias Burghart, Matt DeLisi, and Rongqin Yu — summarized within this issue of the IACFP Bulletin — takes a critical look at the RNR model, which has become a widely accepted model for managing justice involved individuals in both custody and community correctional settings throughout the world. Due to the findings expressed by the researchers, IACFP received several inquiries asking for guidance regarding the article’s content. The approach we have taken is three-fold: Summarize the article and its main points. … [Read more...] about Discussion: An Expert Panel Responds to the Umbrella Review of the Risk-Need-Responsivity Model by Seena Fazel, et al.
Beyond Implementing Evidence-Based Practice: Creating Rehabilitative Experience
By Frank J. Porporino, Ph.D. Criminal Justice Consultant, Ottawa, Canada This article was originally published in Justice Trends magazine (Edition #12) and is reprinted here with permission. It has been copyedited for error correction and style purposes only. In the last several decades, correctional services around the world have marched steadily towards greater acceptance of evidence-based practice (EBP). The pessimism of “nothing works” has been pretty much abandoned and most correctional jurisdictions would claim that they are at least trying to implement EBP. Of course, there are continuing challenges in some regions of the world where resources are stretched to meet even very basic … [Read more...] about Beyond Implementing Evidence-Based Practice: Creating Rehabilitative Experience
IACFP International News, Research, and Resources for Jul/Aug 2024
We've compiled top highlights from recent research, policy, and practice resources across the world for our latest IACFP International News summary. Our topics for July and August, 2024 include IACFP updates; recent research, policy, and practice; and upcoming conferences. 1. IACFP Updates IACFP 2024 Distinguished Scholar is Professor Mark Halsey Professor Mark Halsey from Flinders University in Australia will deliver the IACFP 2024 Distinguished Scholar Lecture at the upcoming ICPA annual conference in Singapore. The theme of the conference is “Enabling Desistance: Beyond Recidivism”. Professor Halsey has done significant research on desistance, including the … [Read more...] about IACFP International News, Research, and Resources for Jul/Aug 2024
Considering the Trend of Innovative Technology at TIC 2024
Dr. Gabriel Ong, Principal Psychologist, CNB Psychology Unit – Singapore In the rapidly evolving landscape of corrections, technological advancements have emerged as powerful catalysts for change. As we convene at the forefront of innovative technology, the intersection of technology and corrections promises to reshape traditional paradigms, offering unprecedented opportunities for security enhancement, rehabilitation, and societal reintegration. I didn’t write this. I merely instructed ChatGPT to craft an opening paragraph about a corrections technology conference, and it over-delivered in mere seconds. The technology that we have at our fingertips today is certainly amazing. … [Read more...] about Considering the Trend of Innovative Technology at TIC 2024
Examining the Roots of Violence in the Irish Prison Service
Dr. Orla Gallagher recently received her PhD from University College Dublin and she currently works as a Post-Doctoral Researcher within the Irish Prison Service, focusing on the role of experts by experience and how neurodiversity is responded to within the correctional system. In this article, she discusses the four studies that formed her doctoral thesis, Managing Serious Violence in The Irish Prison Service: Exploring the Experiences of Prisoners and Prison Officers through the Lens of the Power Threat Meaning Framework. Gallagher was a recipient of the 2023 IACFP Student Research Award. In October 2017, I entered uncharted territory as the first PhD candidate to be funded by the Irish … [Read more...] about Examining the Roots of Violence in the Irish Prison Service
Summary: Prevalence of Mental Health and Comorbid Disorders in Scandinavian Prisons
First published in BMC Psychiatry in February of this year, a study by Anne Bukten, Suvi Virtanen, Morten Hesse, Zheng Chang, Timo Lehmann Kvamme, Birgitte Thylstrup, Torill Tverborgvik, Ingeborg Skjærvø & Marianne R. Stavseth examines the decade of 2010-19 among the prison populations in three Scandinavian nations (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) to examine the pervasiveness of various mental health disorders – including substance use disorders (SUD) – within those incarcerated. The research observed a rising rate of such disorders even within an overall decrease in the number of prisoners, raising questions about what programs or systems may need to be implemented to answer this … [Read more...] about Summary: Prevalence of Mental Health and Comorbid Disorders in Scandinavian Prisons
Summary: Mental Health Needs, Substance Use, and Reincarceration in British Columbia
A new study by Amanda Butler, Tonia L. Nicholls, Hasina Samji, Sheri Fabian, and M. Ruth Lavergne – first published online in Criminal Justice and Behavior – takes a new approach to studying the effects of mental illness and substance use disorder on incarceration and recidivism. Although several prior studies have noted the prevalence of these disorders among incarcerated individuals, researchers have been unable to draw firm conclusions about how they may act as predictors of recidivism. This study has opted to focus on the metric of time between release and reincarceration among prisoners within Canada’s British Columbia (BC) province, providing a new, quantitative data point to … [Read more...] about Summary: Mental Health Needs, Substance Use, and Reincarceration in British Columbia
Interview: Dr. Orla Gallagher on Studying Violence in the Irish Prison System
Dr Orla Gallagher is a Post-Doctoral Researcher employed in the Irish Prison Service. Her primary project explores the implementation of an Expert by Experience role in the Irish Prison Service (IPS). She is also completing a small-scale project in conjunction with Senator Lynn Ruane exploring how neurodiversity is responded to in the IPS and sits on the national Homelessness in the Criminal Justice System Research Steering Group. She completed her PhD (in conjunction with the IPS and University College Dublin) in 2023, with her research focused on the management of serious violence and disruption in Irish Prisons. Prior to this she completed her MSc in Clinical Forensic Psychology at King’s … [Read more...] about Interview: Dr. Orla Gallagher on Studying Violence in the Irish Prison System
Summary: Key Issues for Mental Health in Corrections
In a recent study that builds upon several prior studies, researchers Ryan Coulling, Matthew S. Johnston, and Rosemary Ricciardelli examine the myriad factors that affect the mental health and well-being of workers in the Canadian correctional system. The new study – published in the January 22, 2024 issue of Frontiers in Psychology – takes a qualitative approach to analyzing mental health in corrections by focusing on the comments that participants wrote in response to an open-ended question at the end of a comprehensive mental health survey. Through this data, the researchers identified several themes that provide a more thorough picture of the challenges in correctional … [Read more...] about Summary: Key Issues for Mental Health in Corrections
Summary: Approaches to Effective Correctional Rehabilitation
A new study of correctional rehabilitation programs conducted by Susan Dewey, Brittany VandeBerg, and Susan Roberts–published in Vol. 104 (2) of The Prison Journal earlier this year–provides a distillation of three methods for delivering those services: holistic, pragmatic, and community oriented. Based on observations and interviews with hundreds of non-uniform correctional professionals working in eight different prison systems in the United States, the researchers manage to draw detailed outlines of each strategy, as well as identify both the strengths and weaknesses of each. Background and Research Purposes Non-uniformed staff fulfill several different roles outside of the … [Read more...] about Summary: Approaches to Effective Correctional Rehabilitation
New UNICRI Report Provides Insight and Recommendations on Digital Rehabilitation
The United National Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) published the report Digital Rehabilitation in Prisons in March 2024 (available here). The document was written by Victoria Knight and Stuart Ross, consultants at UNICRI, under the overall guidance and editing of Mana Yamamoto, Matthew Burnett-Stuart, and Alice Roberti. An expert group that included representatives from academia as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations also provided input for the report. I recognized several of the authors and advisors as practitioner leaders in contemporary correctional psychology, rehabilitation, probation, and prisons. The report examines the potential … [Read more...] about New UNICRI Report Provides Insight and Recommendations on Digital Rehabilitation
