Wormith, J. S.

Mandating offenders to attend correctional treatment is a controversial function of the justice system, in part because of the uncertainty about the effectiveness of such practice. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the effectiveness of mandated, coerced, and voluntary correctional treatment in reducing recidivism. A search of correctional treatment studies resulted in 129 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. In general, mandated treatment was found to be ineffective in several analyses, particularly when the treatment was located in custodial settings, whereas voluntary treatment produced significant treatment effect sizes regardless of setting. Few significant differences in effect sizes were found between levels of coercion. The implications of mandating correctional treatment for offenders are discussed.

The current study examined characteristics related to homelessness among released offenders to improve housing services for this group. Forty-one incarcerated Canadian prisoners were interviewed approximately 3 months prior to release about their former and anticipated accommodations. Homelessness prior to incarceration was positively related to violent institutional behavior, violence risk level, and criminogenic needs but not recidivism. Stable housing prior to incarceration was positively related to greater community support. Recommendations include creating more community and institutional housing programs for offenders more likely to experience housing difficulties in the community.