Methodological Considerations in the Evaluation of Offender Interventions: The Problem of Attrition

Hatcher, Ruth, McGuire, James, Bilby, Charlotte, Palmer, Emma and Hollin, Clive (2012) Methodological Considerations in the Evaluation of Offender Interventions: The Problem of Attrition. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 56 (3). pp. 447-464. ISSN 0306-624X

Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)

Abstract

Attrition from offender interventions presents methodological problems when the effectiveness of the intervention is under evaluation. This article proposes a treatment-received (TR) design, which incorporates one-to-one matching on criminogenic variables. This design permits the comparison of completer, noncompleter, and nonstarter groups with their paired comparisons and, hence, allows a more accurate evaluation of program completion and noncompletion effects. A sample of 173 offenders, referred to one of two general offending behavior cognitive skills programs within community settings, was matched one-to-one by criminogenic variables to offenders from an appropriate comparison group. Reconviction analyses were undertaken using intention to treat (ITT) analysis, TR analysis using the full comparison group, and TR analysis using matched comparison groups. The ITT design found no impact of group membership on reconviction. The TR designs, however, provided evidence of moderate effects of completion: For every three completers, five of the matched comparison group members were reconvicted. The analysis also suggested a noncompletion effect: Noncompleters were twice as likely as their matched comparison group to be reconvicted.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	offender interventions, evaluation, attrition, noncompletion, reconviction
Subjects:	L400 Social Policy L900 Others in Social studies
Department:	Faculties > Arts, Design and Social Sciences > Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Ellen Cole
Date Deposited:	21 Dec 2012 11:38
Last Modified:	10 Oct 2019 22:45
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/10710

Downloads