Prescribed correctional treatment dosage: Cautions, commentary, and future directions

Abstract

There has always been an interest in correctional treatment, beginning with Martinson’s controversial “nothing works” doctrine to the more recent risk, need, and responsivity principles. Recently this interest has expanded beyond if treatment works, but how much is necessary. Framed as treatment dosage, there is a now “best practice” suggestion that prescribing 100, 200, or 300 h of correctional treatment is necessary to achieve desired outcomes. The present article raises concerns about prescribed treatment dosages and suggests the field runs the risk of falling into a “dosage dogma” (a slavish adherence to a prescribed minimum allotment of treatment) which may have unintended consequences of stifling the development and integration of quality rehabilitation initiatives into correctional practice. It is proposed that a focus on intermediate treatment goals reflected by offender skill acquisition is a promising option for reducing offender recidivism.

Keywords:

• Correctional treatment dosage
• offender treatment
• offender rehabilitation