Advantages And Disadvantages Of Rnr Model

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A therapist ONLY addressing an offender 's mental illness may be problematic because offenders have criminogenic needs that need to be treated in order to reduce criminal behavior. The Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) model of corrections and rehabilitation was designed by Andrews, Honta, and Hoge in 1990. This model has demonstrated the strongest research-support on its ability to explain and treat criminal behavior. Andrews and Bonta have shown that in order to produce a successful rehabilitation program, the program must "respect the individual, have a psychological theory basis, and should work in junction with the enhancement of preventative services". This model reveals the importance of going beyond ONLY addressing an offender 's mental illness and providing treatment relevant to …show more content…

The responsivity principle states that clinicians should tailor treatment delivery that will produce the most effective outcomes depending on unique needs of the client. It is important that the therapist considers each offender individually and adequately assesses their cultural, mental, and physical needs. There are several advantages (pros) and a couple disadvantages (cons) to the therapeutic approach of the RNR model. The pros of this model are that treatment intensity is matched with individual risk level, dynamic issues that are directly linked with crime, and that specific treatment is tailored to individual offenders. By matching treatment intensity to risk level, offenders receive treatment that will be most effective in meeting their therapy needs. Giving an offender the wrong intensity of treatment for their risk level, such as high intensity treatment to a low-risk individual, can have negative effects since a low-risk offender may already have protective factors in place. Another pro of the RNR model is that it has the advantage of targeting dynamic issues that are directly linked with a crime; This allows treatment to adhere to problems that may decrease future

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