Quality of Research
Documents Reviewed
The documents below were reviewed for Quality of Research. The research point of
contact can provide information regarding the studies reviewed and the availability
of additional materials, including those from more recent studies that may have been conducted.
Study 1Deschamps, T. MRT: Is it effective in decreasing recidivism rates with young offenders? Unpublished master's thesis, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Study 2Little, G., Robinson, K. D., Burnette, K. D., & Swan, S. Successful ten-year outcome data on MRT-treated felony offenders: Treated offenders show significantly lower reincarceration in each year. Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Review, 8(1), 1-3.
Little, G. L., & Robinson, K. D. Effects of Moral Reconation Therapy upon moral reasoning, life purpose, and recidivism among drug and alcohol offenders. Psychological Reports, 64, 83-90. Study 3Kirchner, R. A., Byrnes, E. C., Kirchner, T. R., & Heckert, A. O. Effectiveness and impact of program delivery: Evaluation of the Thurston County Drug Court Program--Part II. Annapolis, MD: Glacier Consulting. Study 4Krueger, S. Five-year recidivism study of MRT-treated offenders in a county jail. Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Review, 3-4, 3. Study 5Godwin, G., Stone, S., & Hambrock, K. Recidivism study: Lake County, Florida Detention Center. Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Review, 4, 12.
Supplementary Materials Little, G. L., & Robinson, K. D. Moral Reconation Therapy: A systematic step-by-step treatment system for treatment resistant clients. Psychological Reports, 62, 135-151.
Wilson, D. B., Bouffard, L. A., & MacKenzie, D. L. A quantitative review of structured, group-oriented, cognitive-behavioral programs for offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 32(2), 172-204.
Outcomes
| Outcome 1: Recidivism |
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Description of Measures
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In some studies, recidivism was defined as the rate at which individuals were rearrested on new criminal charges, while other studies limited recidivism to a conviction of a subsequent crime(s). Data from each study were obtained from various databases, including Canada's Offender Management System (OMS), the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) Statewide Criminal History database, and computer-generated searches of local and national arrest records and jail records.
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Key Findings
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One study was conducted in Ontario, Canada, with juvenile male clients sentenced by a judge to an open custody facility, which is a midpoint on the continuum between prison and return to the community. In this type of facility, the offenders are not secured behind bars, and if the clients decide to leave, the staff are not required to intervene physically, but the offenders will receive a new charge when they are apprehended again. In this study, clients who participated in MRT had a conviction rate of 46% during the study period, compared with 57% of clients from a different open-custody facility that did not offer MRT. Further, the average number of reoffenses for the treatment group was 4.1, while the average number of reoffenses for the control group was 5.7 (p = .043).
In another study, after 1 year of release, adult male felony inmates who participated in MRT showed a reincarceration rate that was two-thirds lower than that of a control group of inmates who had volunteered for the MRT program but did not receive it due to limited treatment funding. In all subsequent years (up to 10 years after the original incarceration), the treated group's reincarceration rate was approximately one-fifth to one-third lower than controls (p values ranging from .05 to .001). For example, after 10 years of release, MRT-treated subjects showed a 45.7% reincarceration rate compared with 64.6% in controls.
The Thurston County Drug Court Program is a judicially led drug court specifically designed to facilitate the treatment and rehabilitation of nonviolent, substance-abusing adult felons. Male and female clients who participated in MRT were rearrested for any offense at a rate of 20%, compared with 45.3% for a matched control group (p < .001). Further, the arrest rate for felony drug offenses was significantly lower for the clients who participated in MRT than for those in the control group (7% vs. 16%; p < .001). Additionally, graduates of the program were compared with clients who had been exposed to some amount of the intervention but were terminated from their programs. Graduates had significantly fewer rearrests than their counterparts who did not successfully complete the program (27% vs. 53%; p < .001).
A fourth study examined the recidivism of adult male inmates of a short-term county jail. Inmates who participated in MRT had a 45% rearrest rate in the 4 years after being released from jail, compared with 67% for a control group who did not participate in MRT (p < .05).
In a fifth study, adult male inmates of a short-term county detention center who participated in MRT had a reincarceration rate of 11.3% 1 year after release and 25.3% 2 years after release. Inmates who did not participate in MRT had significantly higher recidivism rates at 1 year (29.7%; p < .001) and 2 years (37.3%; p < .01) after release.
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Studies Measuring Outcome
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Study 1, Study 2, Study 3, Study 4, Study 5
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Study Designs
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Quasi-experimental
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Quality of Research Rating
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1.9
(0.0-4.0 scale)
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| Outcome 2: Personality functioning |
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Description of Measures
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Participants responded to the short form (20 questions) of the Purpose in Life Questionnaire, which estimates perceived purpose in life. Participants also completed the Defining Issues Test, an objective paper-and-pencil test that yields percentile scores indicating individuals' capabilities for six stages of moral reasoning. Of particular interest in this study was the degree of "principled reasoning," represented by the sum of the scores for the two highest stages of moral reasoning. People who make their decisions from levels of principled reasoning tend to be guided by concerns of justice, equality, and basic human rights.
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Key Findings
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Among adult male offenders participating in the Drug Abuse Program (a closed therapeutic community operated within the prison compound), there was a significant positive correlation between the last MRT step completed at the time of the initial testing (after 6 months of program implementation) and the degree of principled reasoning (p = .03) and perceived purpose in life (p = .01). Further, there were significant improvements in universal-ethical principle (following one's conscience) levels (p = .01), the percent of principled reasoning (p = .02), and perceived purpose in life (p = .01) from testing conducted upon entry to retesting at the completion of MRT's Step 7.
Similarly, among adult male inmates participating in the Alcohol Treatment Unit (a similar unit to the Drug Abuse Program, operated independently, but in close proximity), there was significant improvement in the percent of principled reasoning (p = .01) and perceived purpose in life (p = .05) from testing conducted upon entry to retesting the day before release from the program.
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Studies Measuring Outcome
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Study 2
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Study Designs
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Quasi-experimental
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Quality of Research Rating
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2.2
(0.0-4.0 scale)
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Study Populations
The following populations were identified in the studies reviewed for Quality of
Research.
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Study
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Age
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Gender
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Race/Ethnicity
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Study 1
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13-17 (Adolescent)
18-25 (Young adult)
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100% Male
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100% Non-U.S. population
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Study 2
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18-25 (Young adult)
26-55 (Adult)
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100% Male
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80% Black or African American
20% Race/ethnicity unspecified
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Study 3
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18-25 (Young adult)
26-55 (Adult)
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65.2% Male
34.8% Female
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92.1% White
7.9% Race/ethnicity unspecified
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Study 4
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18-25 (Young adult)
26-55 (Adult)
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89% Male
11% Female
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Data not reported/available
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Study 5
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18-25 (Young adult)
26-55 (Adult)
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100% Male
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Data not reported/available
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Quality of Research Ratings by Criteria (0.0-4.0 scale)
External reviewers independently evaluate the Quality of Research for an intervention's
reported results using six criteria:
For more information about these criteria and the meaning of the ratings, see Quality of Research.
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Outcome
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Reliability
of Measures
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Validity
of Measures
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Fidelity
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Missing
Data/Attrition
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Confounding
Variables
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Data
Analysis
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Overall
Rating
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1: Recidivism
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2.0
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2.0
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1.0
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3.0
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1.5
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2.0
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1.9
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2: Personality functioning
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3.5
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3.5
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1.0
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1.8
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1.5
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2.0
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2.2
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Study Strengths Reliability and validity of the two personality functioning measures are well documented. The use of a treatment manual that incorporates milestones for program completion contributes to implementation fidelity. Missing data do not appear to have been an issue.
Study Weaknesses Length of stay at a facility was often too short for participants to have attained the recommended length of time in the treatment program; as a result, positive results from program completion may be confounded with the effects of longer incarceration. Additional "extensive" support services provided in aftercare programs may be another confounding factor. More information could have been gathered and reported on the intervention and comparison groups, allowing for more appropriate statistical analyses and the use of analyses to control for alternative explanations of effects. Reliance on statewide databases limits the accuracy of recidivism rates; recidivism may occur in other States without being documented. The use of the Defining Issues Test as an outcome measure may reflect participants' verbal ability in addition to moral reasoning; additionally, a significant percentage of scores on the Defining Issues Test were dropped from analyses, with no correction indicated. In several studies, type 1 error rate inflation of the multiple chi-square analyses is a concern.
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