Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Mary B. Brown

Abstract

Recidivism plagues the criminal justice system, specifically, in the field of community corrections; therefore, it is a societal concern. The goal of community supervision is the successful reintegration of offenders and the reduction of recidivism. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine the efficacy of evidence-based programming in a district in the northeastern United States to examine recidivism among federal offenders to fill a gap in the literature on real-life applicability. The risk-needs-responsivity model was the theoretical framework for this study, based on contemporary associations with evidence-based practices within judicial and correctional agencies. The statistical information for this study came from secondary data collected from the Probation and Pretrial Services Automated Case Tracking System. The data were analyzed using a MANOVA to test the significance, if any, between the dependent variables and the independent variable. The results of the MANOVA provided an understanding of the correlation, if any, that could exist between evidence-based programming and recidivism while controlling for the Post-Conviction Risk Assessment. Based on the results, the null hypothesis was rejected. The results showed an inverse relationship contradictory to the supporting literature on evidence-based programming, which can be considered a pivotal starting point for further research on this topic. Implications suggest that future research go beyond the black box model to consider additional factors and not limit the scope of the study to outcomes. Developing an understanding of the implications of evidence-based programming provides a meaningful opportunity to decrease recidivism thus creating community focused positive social change.

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