Treatment Quality and Behavioral Change Among Incarcerated Offenders: Assessing a Standardized Program Evaluation Protocol

• In Event: Experiences of Incarcerated Juveniles

Abstract

Prior research indicates that higher quality treatments often produce better outcomes for offenders in the corrections system. Important questions persist, however, regarding how to conceptualize treatment quality and which components of it are most important. In response, Lipsey and his colleagues created the Standardized Program Evaluation Protocol (SPEP). It provides a rating system for scoring programs and facilities on the key components of treatment quality. The present study examines data from a large sample of confined offenders to determine whether SPEP ratings are related to subsequent offender behavior in the expected ways. This is done with a focus on juvenile offenders in the state of Florida, where the SPEP has been implemented statewide in all juvenile residential facilities. We examine the effects of SPEP ratings on two behavioral outcomes: (1) risk and protective factor change during confinement and (2) reoffending in the 12 months after release. We report effects of both total SPEP scores and individual SPEP components, and we consider whether effects of treatment quality depend on key characteristics of offenders and facilities.

Authors

• Carter Hay, Florida State University

• Brae Campion, Florida State University

• Alex O. Widdowson, Florida State University