Reducing reoffending with intervention in prison

The number of people who re-offend after serving a prison sentence in Sweden is declining. The trend has been ongoing more than 20 years, but the reasons have not been fully explained. One thing that there has been lacking, is knowledge about the effects of certain interventions during the prison sentence.

A new study from Stockholm University examines whether treatment, education and work, such as cleaning or kitchen work, have an effect on the risk of future criminality.

– This type of research is needed to see what is important in reducing recidivism. For the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, it is important to know where to put the resources, says Lena Roxell, researcher at the Department of Criminology at Stockholm University and the author of the study.

She argues that employment during the sentence is important for both the inmate and the risk of recidivism:

– The results show that work, treatment and education during imprisonment are important for reducing the risk of reoffending. This is particularly true for the risk of reoffending after a prison sentence. In some cases, the risk of receiving a prison sentence again.

The study also examines whether it makes any difference if the interventions are combined with each other. The results show that the combination of education and work reduces the risk of recidivism, but other combinations do not affect the risk of recidivism.

– This could indicate that it is better to concentrate on one intervention during the prison term instead of several to reduce the risk of recidivism, says Lena Roxell.

The article What contributes to fewer cases of recidivism? Treatment, education, and work in prison is published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation. Read the article here.
Read more about Lena Roxell's research