Fidelity in Implementation: Attending to Responsivity Challenges in a Second Chance Act Reentry Demonstration Program

• In Event: Risk-Needs-Responsivity Concerns in Community Corrections

Abstract

Research on Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) has largely focused on the first two components of the model (the “risk” and “need” principles), while evidence on “responsivity” is less developed. This paper helps to address this gap, by considering the applicability of “specific responsivity” to community-based programming in a reentry setting. According to this principle, programing should be tailored to offenders’ characteristics; in particular by paying attention to psychological factors including the offender’s learning style, motivation, and other personal circumstances. We question whether this concept is adequate, in its current formulation, to account for dynamics affecting the engagement of parolees with services. In particular, we consider whether non-psychological factors, that fall out of specific responsivity’s conventional definition, may be also be important to client engagement with services. To this end, we draw on the experiences of recently released parolees entering a reentry program where they are targeted for extra educational, housing, employment, mental health, and substance abuse services. We make use of a range of program data, including qualitative accounts of parolee engagement provided by parolees, service providers, case managers and parole officers.

Authors

• Nicole Marie Sachs, Rutgers University

• Joel Miller, Rutgers University