Using Social Science to Reduce Violent Offending: (American Psychology-Law Society Series)

Over the past three decades, the American criminal justice system has become unapologetically punitive. High rates of incarceration and frequent use of long-term segregation have become commonplace, with little concern for evidence that such practices make the public safer - and as the editors of this groundbreaking volume assert, they do not. Bringing together experts in the fields of social science, forensic psychology and criminal justice, Using Social Science to Reduce Violent Offending addresses what truly works in reducing violent offending. Promoting an approach to correctional policy grounded in an evidence-based and nuanced understanding of human behavior, leading authorities from the United States, Canada, and Great Britain offer specific and practical strategies for improving the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Beginning by covering the history and scope of violent crime and incarceration in the U.S., this pioneering volume offers clear and practical recommendations for implementing approaches focused on behavioral change of even the most particular offender groups, such as juvenile offenders, sexual offenders, and offenders with mental illnesses. The authors argue for a more scientifically informed justice system, one where offenders-through correctional approaches such as community-based treatments and cognitive behavioral interventions-can be expected to learn the skills they will need to succeed in avoiding crime upon release. Authors also highlight methods for overcoming system inertia in order to implement these recommendations. Drawing on the science of human behavior to inform correctional practice, this book is an invaluable resource for policymakers, practitioners, mental health and criminal justice professionals, and anyone interested in the science behind the policies surrounding criminal punishment.

Table of Contents:
Series Foreword Preface Contributors Part I. Defining the Problem: Crime, Incarceration, and Recidivism in the U.S. Chapter 1. Crime and rates of incarceration in the U.S. Alfred Blumstein Chapter 2. A short history of corrections: The rise, fall, and resurrection of rehabilitation through treatment Clive R. Hollin Part II. Targeting Contextual Contributors to the Problem Chapter 3. Contextual Influences on Violence David P. Farrington Chapter 4. The good, the bad, and the ugly of electronic media Muniba Saleem and Craig A. Anderson Chapter 5. Public attitudes and punitive policies Tom R. Tyler and Lindsay E. Rankin Part III. Improving Our Approach to Individual Offenders Chapter 6. The Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) Model of Correctional Assessment and Treatment Donald Andrews Chapter 7. Assessment and Treatment Strategies for Correctional Institutions Paul Gendreau and Paula Smith Chapter 8. Putting Science to Work: How the Principles of Risk, Responsivity and Need Apply to Reentry Susan Turner and Joan Petersilia Chapter 9. Reducing recidivism and violence among offending youth Barbara Oudekerk and Dickon Reppucci Chapter 10. Extending rehabilitative principles to violent sex offenders Judith V. Becker and Jill D. Stinson Chapter 11. Extending violence reduction principles to justice-involved persons with mental illness John Monahan and Henry J. Steadman Part IV. A Way Forward Chapter 12. Addressing system inertia to effect change James McGuire Chapter 13. What if psychology redesigned the criminal justice system? (Editors) Joel A. Dvoskin, Jennifer L. Skeem, Raymond W. Novaco, and Kevin S. Douglas Index

About the Author :
Joel A. Dvoskin, Ph.D., ABPP is Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona, Tucson and Past President of the American Psychology-Law Society. Jennifer L. Skeem, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine. Raymond W. Novaco, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine. Kevin S. Douglas, Ph.D., LL.B. is Associate Professor of Psychology, Simon Fraser University.

Review :
"Violent crime is an enormous problem that Americans have been taught they simply have to accept. The evidence marshaled so effectively in this excellent volume suggests otherwise. Data-driven, strategically planned interventions with offenders can make a difference in reducing violence. Finally we have the long-awaited blueprint for revitalizing our criminal justice system." -- Paul S. Appelbaum, MD, Dollard Professor of Psychiatry, Medicine, & Law and Director, Division of Law, Ethics, and Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons "This is the most innovative and important book ever written--ever--about one of our most serious social problems. Thoughtful, comprehensive, original and challenging: what more could a reader ask for?" -- Michael L. Perlin, Professor of Law and Director of the International Mental Disability Law Reform Project, New York Law School "Using Social Science to Reduce Violent Offending is a survey of practices that have successfully changed human behavior. When this tool is put into practice, the world will be a better and safer place."--Andrew Vachss, Attorney, author, and Advisory Board Member of the National Association to Protect Children "Overall I felt this text had considerable content to offer, with value not just in enhancing academic understanding but also in providing guidance and, crucially, reassurance to those seeking to implement interventions... The application and content of this text is far broader than 'violence' alone and this is essential to recognise. Overall I warmly recommend this text. I feel its varied approach ensures there is content relevant and of interest to all. It should prove itself an invaluable resource." -- Professor Jane L. Ireland, School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, UK, ISRA Bulletin "This collaborative approach to understanding societal problems is too rare; more books like Using Social Science to Reduce Violent Offending should be available to policy makers in order to shrink the gap between research and practice. Throughout the book, the authors provide concise yet well-developed explanations of important studies and then discuss their application to the criminal justice environment." -- Jason A. Cantone, PsycCRITIQUES