Programmatic and Nonprogrammatic Aspects of Successful Intervention: New Directions for Research

Abstract

This article first presents results of correctional intervention effectiveness based on 32 literature reviews and meta-analyses that, collectively, addressed 20 separate programmatic approaches such as educational training or group counseling. It then examines findings that illustrate the importance of nonprogrammatic factors such as staff characteristics, staff/client interactions, and setting. The article next introduces a proposed new direction for research: the study of programs as composites of programmatic approaches and nonprogrammatic factors. This new direction is needed to better understand why some interventions work and others fail. Finally, the article presents a “global approach” framework for implementing the proposed new research, and it discusses practical issues associated with it.