Principal Investigator: Susan Turner, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
Author: Alyssa Whitby Chamberlain
There has been a resurgence of interest in the rehabilitation of offenders, and research has consistently shown that treatment programs can successfully reduce recidivism. While much of the corrections literature has focused on program effectiveness, less attention has been placed on the expansion and delivery of services to incarcerated offenders, and whether the renewed focus on rehabilitation has changed the nature of treatment delivery to inmates. Using data from three time points collected as part of the BJS survey of state inmates, this paper examines the criminogenic needs of offenders and how those needs have changed over time, the role inmate needs play in driving participation in institutional programs, and whether inmates with unmet treatment needs commit a disproportionate number of institutional infractions. A structural equation modeling approach was employed to estimate the relationship between service needs and participation, and the results suggest that inmate needs have changed substantially over the past decade, with the most extensive needs concentrated in a small proportion of inmates. Consequently, correctional institutions are not always been able to match offenders to the appropriate services, which may have a direct impact on institutional safety.