Treatment for Juvenile Offenders Shows Positive Effects 22 Years Later, Including Reduced Recidivism Rates

Treatment for Juvenile Offenders Shows Positive Effects 22 Years Later, Including Reduced Recidivism Rates

Nov. 17, 2011

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Charles Borduin, professor of psychological sciences

Charles Borduin, professor of psychological sciences

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Treatment for Juvenile Offenders Shows Positive Effects 22 Years Later, Including Reduced Recidivism Rates

Nov. 17, 2011

Story Contact(s):
Steven Adams, AdamsST@missouri.edu, 573 882-8353

COLUMBIA, Mo. – More than 20 years ago, Charles Borduin, a University of Missouri researcher, developed a treatment for juvenile offenders that has become one of the most widely used evidence-based treatments in the world. Now, he has found that the treatment continues to have positive effects on former participants more than 20 years after treatment.

Throughout the course of his career, Borduin, professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts & Science, has pioneered the treatment called Multisystemic Therapy (MST) as a way to prevent serious mental health problems in children and adolescents. MST interventions involve the offender’s entire family and community, as opposed to the more common individual therapy, where the offender visits a therapist who offers feedback, support and encouragement for behavior change.

Borduin followed up with clinical trial participants that completed treatment nearly 22 years earlier, on average. He found the following differences between participants who received MST and those who received individualized therapy:

Violent felonies: Since completing treatment, 4.3 percent of juveniles treated with MST were arrested for a violent felony, compared to 15.5 percent of individual therapy participants.
All felonies: Overall, 34.8 percent of MST participants committed a felony, compared to 54.8 percent of individual therapy participants.
Misdemeanors: MST participants committed five times fewer misdemeanors than individual therapy participants.
Family problems: Individual therapy participants were involved in family-related civil suits two times more often than MST participants.

[...]

MST is used in 12 countries around the world, as well as in 34 states. In Norway, it is the national model for juvenile offender treatment. Borduin said MST is the most widely used evidence-based treatment for juvenile offenders in the U.S.; however, only 1 to 2 percent of juvenile offenders receive the treatment.

[...]

In a previous study, Borduin found that the net cumulative benefit of providing MST to a single juvenile offender resulted in a savings to taxpayers and crime victims of $75,110 to $199,374 over nearly 14 years. Borduin now plans to study savings over the course of almost 22 years following treatment.

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