The Effectiveness of Rehabilitation with Persistently Violent Male Prisoners

Abstract

In 1990, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice instituted a specialty aggression treatment program called the Program for the Aggressive Mentally Ill Offender (PAMIO). It has beds for 458 violent male offenders and offers multidisciplinary medical and behavioral treatment. This study examined the effectiveness of this treatment program by comparing the annual rates of disciplinary offenses (e.g., staff assaults, inmate assaults, and good time lost) of 66 offenders prior to and following treatment. Paired t tests showed a significant decrease after PAMIO treatment in the annual rates of total disciplinaries, staff assaults, inmate assaults, and good time lost. This improvement appeared to be directly related to treatment effects.

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