The violence prevention project: The development and evaluation of a treatment programme for violent offenders

Abstract

In 1987 the Violence Prevention Project began the development and implementation of a community-based programme for Maaori and European violent offenders, based in Hamilton, New Zealand. This paper outlines the programme's development over its first three years. We describe the programme content, its staffing and management, and the processes used to train staff and provide programme integrity. Following this we present an evaluation of programme outcome. Evaluation methodology is outlined and data are presented both on intermediate psychometric measures of participant change and reconviction for the first stage of long-term follow-up. Finally, we discuss some of the implications of our findings for rehabilitation programmes with this group of offenders, and argue that, with the trend of escalating incarceration for violent offenders, initiatives of this kind are an important part of Corrections policy.

Key Words:

• violent offenders
• offender rehabilitation
• psychological treatment
• treatment integrity
• treatment outcome
• cultural treatment factors