ABSTRACT
The field of forensic and correctional psychology has witnessed an explosion of interest in risk assessment over the past three decades. Encouragingly, many of these risk assessment approaches have evolved from simple aggregation of criminal history factors to the identification of dynamic needs and treatment targets. In turn, this has led to improved clarity regarding programming models for offenders, both in prison and in the community. Concurrently, following the pessimism of Martinson’s (1974) ‘nothing works’ conclusion, a seminal paper byAndrews et al.(1990) led the way for an explosion of a new era of correctional rehabilitation. This applied research began to be known as the What Works literature and has been the pre-eminent perspective for offender programming internationally for the past two decades. Strengthened by empirical evidence regarding their utility, correctional programmes have multiplied exponentially, now dotting the correctional landscape in most western countries. Indeed, since the late 1980s the zeal to develop and deliver correctional programmes has continued unabated.
