The Effectiveness of Intervention: Recent Trends and Current Issues

Abstract

From the 1960s to the early 1970s, there was a broad surge of confidence in intervention's ability to change and control offenders on both a short-and long-term basis. This high optimism was largely replaced by widespread pessimism during 1975-1981. Since the mid-1980s intervention regained considerable strength in terms of focus, direction, and “legitimacy.” This partly resulted from several major meta-analyses and literature reviews that showed its frequent effectiveness. Intervention's relegitimization is a major development in American corrections, one with sizable program and policy implications. As the 1990s begin, intervention has an increasingly recognized and accepted role, especially, but not only, with serious and multiple offenders.