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International research shows that drug courts reduce crime but evidence is mixed about the cost/ benefits. Evidence shows that for drug courts to be most effective they should be well planned and implemented and have targeted eligibility criteria.
Electronic Monitoring is used to support Community Detention and Home Detention sentences, electronic bail, extended supervision orders, parole, and temporary release from prison (including release to work). There is limited international evidence on Electronic Monitoring, but it suggests this approach can reduce reoffending for adult offenders.
Employment assistance involves a combination of job search assistance, job placement, and vocational training: at least some of which occurs outside of prison. There is some evidence that employment assistance prevents crime.
Early childhood education is an effective way of boosting the cognitive and academic skills of children prior to formal education. There is clear international evidence that high-quality early childhood education reduces the likelihood of future criminal behaviour and other negative social outcomes for disadvantaged children.
There is no substantial international or New Zealand evidence on the effect of three strikes laws on crime. The existing evidence is mixed, and more robust research is needed to understand the true effects of these laws.
There is conflicting evidence about whether faith-based interventions can reduce crime. There is some evidence that faith-based interventions can improve the behaviour of prisoners. Faith-based interventions are voluntary and therefore creates a significant selection bias. The largest faith-based intervention in New Zealand operated in Rimutaka Prison from 2003 – 2011 but closed after an evaluation reported it had no impact upon reoffending.
Offenders face a number of challenges when being released from prison, making it difficult for them to successfully reintegrate into society. There is very promising New Zealand evidence that reintegration services reduce reoffending. There is robust local evidence that the reintegration services ‘Out of Gate’ and ‘Release and Work’ provided by the Department of Corrections can reduce crime. The effect of other reintegration services is yet to be evaluated in New Zealand. International evidence ...
There is conflicting evidence on whether out-of-school care and recreation can reduce crime. International research shows very mixed results and no consistency in positive results.
There is some international research which shows that supervision for offenders released from prison reduces reoffending, however, New Zealand evidence is limited. Supervision is most effective when it follows discretionary release, and it is conducted by well-trained probation officers.
Outdoor programmes, such as Outward Bound, produce short-term reductions in criminal behaviour for adolescent offenders. The New Zealand evidence for reduced reoffending is mixed.
Correctional education and vocational training reduce reoffending and increases the likelihood of obtaining employment upon release. International evidence suggests that the more effective the educational training programmes are at obtaining and maintaining employment post-release, the greater the reduction in reoffending. International evidence also suggests that adult offenders, 26 years and older tend to benefit more from education and employment programmes and increase their chances of maint...
Measures to prevent repeat burglary are effective at reducing crime when targeted at the households at the greatest risk of revictimisation. NZ Police provide a range of measures to prevent repeat burglary as nearly one-quarter of households burgled in New Zealand are burgled more than once. There is robust international evidence that risk of repeat burglaries can be reduced with preventative measures put in place such as improving locks on doors and windows, installing security lighting, and re...
Ninety-one percent of prisoners have been diagnosed with either a substance abuse, or mental health problem over their lifetime.Mental Health Courts help in some cases to reduce offending. Mental health courts work best for people who have had little or no previous treatment for their mental health difficulties. There is some international evidence from the USA that mental health courts can reduce reoffending, however there is a lot of variation in mental health court design making it difficult ...
Behavioural interventions in schools can reduce offending and victimisation with affected children. There are two types of behaviour management that have clear evidence of being effective: (1) having clearly stated, fair and consistently enforced rules, (2) teaching social, cognitive and emotional skills to manage behaviour and improve self-control.
International evidence suggests that informal processing of young offenders can reduce reoffending in some cases. Informal processing includes approaches such as issuing warnings, Alternative Action or Family Group Conferences. New Zealand makes extensive use of informal processing for young offenders.
Scared Straight or ‘Juvenile Awareness’ programmes involve taking at-risk youth on tours of adult prisons to be warned off a life of crime. There is clear international evidence that Scared Straight programmes make offending more likely. This is consistent with broader evidence showing that minimising contact with the formal justice system reduces reoffending for young offenders.
Sex offender treatment for adults results in lower rates of recorded sexual reoffending. There is robust international evidence that sex offender treatment for adults can reduce sexual reoffending against children and adults. New Zealand studies have found that child sex offender treatment is effective for reducing crime.
Restorative Justice is a process where offenders and victims meet to discuss the impact of the offence on the victim and how to right the wrong. While preventing reoffending is not the primary aim of Restorative Justice, research shows that it reduces reoffending.
Mentoring is one of the most commonly used interventions to help youth engaged in, or thought to be at risk for, delinquent behaviour and other negative outcomes. There is consistent international evidence that youth mentoring reduces crime particularly when professionally delivered.
‘Therapeutic interventions’ are therapies (e.g. counselling, psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioural programmes) designed to help IPV victims to manage its psychological effects (e.g. posttraumatic stress, depression, low self-esteem) and help reduce their vulnerability. International research shows that therapeutic interventions such as counselling can reduce victims’ vulnerability to Intimate Partner Violence revictimisation, but more controlled studies are needed. These interventions have not be...
Supervision is a community-based sentence that targets adult offenders convicted of less serious offences who have relatively straight-forward rehabilitation needs and a lower risk of reoffending. Offenders can be sentenced to supervision for 6 months to 1 year. There is conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of supervision sentences. They are most effective when the intensity of supervision is matched to the offender, treatment is mandatory, and administered by trained probation officers.
Situational Crime Prevention discourages crime by doing things that make committing a crime more difficult, risky, or less rewarding or excusable. There is robust international evidence that several types of Situational Crime Prevention reduce crime, particularly property crime and public order offences. Evidence suggests that situational crime prevention is most likely to be effective if tailored to the particular context rather than through generic application such as widespread CCTV.
Enforcement of speed limit for traffic, such as patrolling and speed cameras, reduces speed levels, road crashes and injuries. There is robust international and local evidence that speed limit enforcement reduces driving speeds, road crashes, number of fatalities and severity of injuries. There is some international evidence that the effects of speed enforcement are greater when a new form of speed enforcement is introduced and for more serious crashes. There is some international evidence that ...
International and NZ evidence shows that treatment for adolescents with harmful sexual behaviour reduces their offending in the future. The most promising kind of treatment is targeted at the specific needs of the adolescent, their family, and their social environment.
Correctional alcohol and drug treatment is effective at reducing offending and also has positive broader social outcomes. The treatment is most effective when targeted at people at high risk of reoffending, and tends to be less effective for reducing offending among adolescents, but still useful reducing substance use. Demand is now largely being met limiting the need to further investment.