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A quantitative analysis of 44 rigorously controlled offender treatment studies, published between 1970 and 1991, was undertaken to determine if the factors suggested by previous reviewers to be essential to program success are in fact related to efficacy. The results indicated that only six factors were significantly associated with the efficacy of programs. These factors included: (a) a sound conceptual model; (b) multifaceted programming; (c) the targeting of "criminogenic needs"; (d) the responsivity principle; (e) roleplaying and modeling; and (f) social cognitive skills training. The study raised several questions about the adequacy of research on offender rehabilitation and about the validity of many assertions that have been made about the essential characteristics of effective programs.

Although relapse prevention models have been applied within offender treatment, there has been little controlled outcome research evaluating their effectiveness. This meta-analysis of 40 tests of relapse prevention treatment revealed moderate mean reductions in recidivism (0.15), and certain elements of the relapse prevention model (i.e., training significant others in the program model and identifying the offense chain) yielded stronger effects than others (i.e., provision of booster/aftercare sessions and developing coping skills). Further analyses revealed that the clinically relevant and psychologically informed principles of risk, need, and general responsivity yielded the strongest reductions in recidivism. The implications for future research and treatment are discussed.

A survey of first and third year psychology students was undertaken to investigate whether longer enrolment in a university program would have an impact on attitude formation toward sexual offenders. All students were administered a battery of standardized tests to obtain a personality profile and their attitudes. Overall the third year students had a greater sense of well being, intellectual efficiency, self-control, psychological mindedness, were more repressed, and tolerant than first year students. Although third year students had different personality traits than first year students they held similar attitudes regarding sexual offenders. Both student groups believed that sexual offenders should receive incarceration of more than two years for their first offense but should receive parole and indefinite treatment following their release from jail.

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