Investigating the Effectiveness of Intervention Programmes in Reducing Recidivism Risk, Criminal Thinking, and Aggression amongst Male Maximum-Security Incarcerated Offenders

This study evaluated the effectiveness of offence-specific programmes delivered at a South African correctional centre in reducing recidivism risk, criminal thinking, and aggression among adult male maximum-security offenders. A quantitative quasi-experimental single-group pretest-post-test design with three assessment points was used. Outcome measures were the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire, the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles, and the Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Data were analysed using repeated-measures MANOVAs, followed by univariate tests and pairwise comparisons. No significant overall changes were observed over time for the combined measures of recidivism risk, aggression, or criminal thinking. However, significant reductions from pre-test to follow-up were found on the SAQ Global Score, Criminal Tendencies, and Alcohol and Drug Abuse scales. No meaningful changes were detected in aggression or criminal thinking subscales. Observed improvements were small to moderate. The findings suggest that offence-specific programmes may contribute to reductions in overall recidivism risk and substance-related risk behaviours but are less effective in producing short-term changes in aggression and criminal thinking among maximum-security offenders. These findings highlight the challenges of achieving cognitive and behavioural change in correctional settings and underscore the need for future evaluations using control groups, multimethod outcome measures, programme fidelity monitoring, and longer follow-up periods.