PSC User Report

This report examines "whether the principles associated with effective treatments for general offenders (Risk-Need-Responsivity: RNR) also apply to sexual offender treatment" (p. i). Sections following an abstract include: introduction; method; results according to the effects of treatment on recidivism, on adherence to RNR principles, and by year and adherence to RNR principles; and discussion about the implications for treatment providers and for researchers. The largest reductions in recidivism are experienced by programs utilizing RNR.

The application of the risk-need-responsivity (RNR) model of offender rehabilitation to one-on-one supervision of offenders placed under probation is examined. This RNR-based training program is called the Strategic Training Initiative in Community Supervision (STICS). Sections of this report include: abstract; the RNR model of offender rehabilitation; the present study; method; results for the success of random assignment, length and content of session discussions, quality of probation officers’ skills and intervention techniques, recidivism, and clinical support; and discussion. “The results showed that the trained probation officers evidenced more of the RNR-based skills and that their clients had a lower recidivism rate” (p. ii).