What Works (and Doesn't) in Reducing Recidivism

Edward J. Latessa received his PhD from The Ohio State University and is Director and Professor of the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Latessa has published over 175 works in the area of criminal justice, corrections, and juvenile justice and has directed over 195 funded research projects, including studies of day reporting centers, juvenile justice programs, drug courts, prison programs, and intensive supervision programs, and he has received numerous awards. In 2013 Latessa was identified as one of the most innovative people in criminal justice by a national survey conducted by the Center for Court Innovation in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the U.S. Department of Justice. Shelley L. Johnson (formerly Listwan) is Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She received her PhD in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati in 2001. She has also served on the faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Kent State University. She has extensive experience with evaluation research and best practices in corrections with both adults and youth. Deborah Koetzle is Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Executive Officer of the Doctoral Program in Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice/The Graduate Center, City University of New York. She received her PhD in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati in 2006. Her research interests center on effective interventions, risk assessment, program implementation and fidelity, and cross-cultural comparisons of prison-based programs and practices.

1. Nothing Works” to “What Works”: The History and Social Context of Rehabilitation; 2. Understanding Risk and Need: The Importance of Assessment; 3. Barriers to Treatment: Understanding Specific Responsivity; 4. What Doesn’t’ Work: Ineffective Approaches and Correctional Quackery; 5. Putting Theory into Practice: Approaches That Work in Reducing Recidivism; 6. Changing Behavior Long Term: Implementing Behavioral Management Systems; 7. Delivering Effective Substance Abuse Treatment; 8. Delivering Effective Treatment for Sex Offending Behaviors; 9. Delivering Effective Programs for Women; 10. Delivering Effective Programs in Institutional Settings; 11. What Works in Reentry: Transitioning Back to the Community; 12. The Importance of Quality: How to Ensure Program Fidelity