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Abstract: 

If we stop and look around for a second, it might seem clear why correctional interventions appear ineffective. Part of this has to do with one size fits all treatment plans. For example, we might know a probation officer who makes every offender take alcohol treatment, regardless of whether the offender has an alcohol problem. Just as with medical interventions, however, one size does not fit all for correctional interventions. Furthermore, corrections should operate only in ways that have been proven, by research, to be effective. Recidivism can be reduced when an individual offender is well matched to research-based intervention processes: the right offender, at the right time, with the right services, and delivered in the right way. Fry explains why this is the optimal policy choice.

Keywords: evidence-based practices

Affiliations:  1: Eighth Iowa Judicial District Department of Correctional Services.