Importance of Program Integrity

Abstract

Research Summary We used a quasi‐experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of Moving On, a gender‐responsive, cognitive‐behavioral program designed for female offenders. Between 2001 and 2013, there were two distinct periods in which Moving On was administered with, and without, fidelity among female Minnesota prisoners. To determine whether program integrity matters, we examined the performance of Moving On across these two periods. By using multiple comparison groups, we found that Moving On significantly reduced two of the four measures of recidivism when it was implemented with fidelity. The program did not have a significant impact on any of the four recidivism measures, however, when it operated without fidelity. Policy Implication The growth of the “what works” literature and the emphasis on evidence‐based practices have helped foster the notion that correctional systems can improve public safety by reducing recidivism. Given that Moving On's success hinged on whether it was delivered with integrity, our results show that correctional practitioners can take an effective intervention and make it ineffective. Providing offenders with evidence‐based interventions that lack therapeutic integrity not only promotes a false sense of effectiveness, but also it squanders the limited supply of programming resources available to correctional agencies. The findings suggest that ensuring program integrity is critical to the efficient use of successful interventions that deliver on the promise of reduced recidivism.

Inmate Society in the Era of Mass Incarceration

“…In other words, RCTs are poor tools for understanding why a program works and thus have little to say for how effective programs can be improved. Combined with thorough program fidelity and integrity assessments (Duwe and Clark 2015), prison-embedded sociological research has tremendous potential for understanding the mechanisms of effective correctional treatment programming. In the tradition of Moreno’s (1932) early work on prison-based group therapy, the burgeoning area of network science offers a particularly useful approach for understanding and improving prison programs (Kreager, Davidson, and Whichard 2016).…”

Co-Occurring Substance Use, PTSD, and IPV Victimization: Implications for Female Offender Services

“…However, the program duration was later reduced by one third, essential components such as skill building and homework were omitted, class sizes were increased, and participation became mandatory. These changes were associated with reduced effectiveness (Duwe & Clark, 2015). The importance of program fidelity extends not only to treatment services, but also risk assessment, rehabilitation planning, and staff training (e.g., Wright, Van Voorhis, Salisbury, & Bauman, 2012).…”

Characterizing community courts

“…Focusing on implementation integrity, the current study demonstrates that the Israeli CCs implement a strong offender‐oriented and needs‐based approach in their daily operation as stated in their operational model. As there is evidence that strong model fidelity can predict effectiveness (Duwe & Clark, ), we can cautiously assume at this early stage that the Israeli CCs are likely to be successful in rehabilitating offenders. Other studies that are under way will provide similar information, with a comparable level of detail, about the model characteristics of restorative justice, drug courts, and pre‐adjudication hearings.…”

“…To examine the operation of the two Israeli CCs, this article seeks to answer two research questions: what are the central features characterizing the courtroom dynamics of the two Israeli CCs; and to what extent do these features reflect model fidelity. Little is known about the connection between “model fidelity” (the adherence to the principles of a program) and “model effectiveness” (the success of the program in achieving its stated goals) (Miller & Miller, ), but some studies have already begun to demonstrate that strong model fidelity can predict effectiveness (Duwe & Clark, ).…”