The Risk-Need-Responsivity framework acknowledges that dynamic elements such as substance addiction, mental health, employment retention, pro-social values, friends and families, and criminal thinking are modifiable and are highlighted as intervention targets for rehabilitative correctional programs.
- The RNR model's need premise stresses triaging dynamic offender needs to prioritize recidivism-related correctional rehabilitation.
- This technique saves costs by targeting offender traits that affect recidivism and can be altered through programming.
Central Eight
- history of antisocial behavior
- antisocial personality pattern
- antisocial attitudes/thinking
- antisocial associates
- family/ marital problems
- low levels of education or financial achievement
- lack of pro-social leisure activities
- substance abuse.
The first four needs, known as the Big Four – history of antisocial behavior, antisocial views, antisocial peers, and criminal mentality – are more predictive of recidivism results than the remaining components.
The model suggests that correctional interventions should focus on these dynamic characteristics.
- The RNR strategy emphasizes screening and assessment tools to detect dynamic offender requirements to prioritize correctional treatment and interventions.
\
%%Substance Abuse.%%
- The RNR paradigm defines substance addiction as a ^^criminogenic need^^, but ignores the fact that there are many types of drug users and that the relationship between substance abuse and criminal behavior varies.
- Most assessments of criminal justice risk include questions about substance misuse, but fail to differentiate between substance abuse and reliance.
- Validated substance use screening and assessment instruments to provide more detailed information regarding lifetime drug use, drug of choice, mode of delivery, longest periods of abstinence, and whether drug use affects employment or is associated with legal issues.
- The relationship between drug abuse and crime is complex, and empirical data reveals that there is a connection between the two.
- When considering substance use into the Risk-Need-Responsiveness paradigm, it is essential to evaluate both drug of choice and clinical diagnosis/treatment need level.
- Drug-crime nexus theory: It proposes that giving substance misuse treatment within the legal system will disrupt criminal activity.
- A revised RNR model would prioritize substance use treatment needs based on the severity of substance use disorder (SUD) and drug of choice, since there are evidence-based interventions to address this dynamic need.
Based on existing empirical data, the consideration of substance use within an RNR framework is refined as follows:
- ^^Certain drugs don't affect crime^^.
- The literature shows that opiates and cocaine use are more likely to affect criminal behavior due to the need for money, the desire to participate in the drug trade to maintain a habit, and drunken decisions.
- Amphetamine use is also growing in this category.
- Marijuana usage is ^^not a criminogenic need^^ since it does not appear to follow the same trend as "hard drugs" like cocaine, opiates, and amphetamines.
- Marijuana users with criminal thought patterns should ^^receive antisocial thinking therapies^^ before substance use interventions.
- Many offenders are arrested on crimes unrelated to substance usage, since substance abuse often drives criminal behavior.
- Many drug offenders do not have clinical SUDs that require intense treatment, hence they will not benefit from substance abuse programs.
\
- Offenders should be divided into four categories regarding substance abuse:
- nonusers
- used drugs in the past with current use of soft drugs
- used hard drugs within a month of the arrest
- used hard drugs prior to the arrest.
- Most studies and evaluation tools investigate these issues but do not incorporate clinical assessment criteria (such as the DSM-IV).