International Journal of
Offender Therapy and
Comparative Criminology
2015, Vol. 59(12) 1263–1266
© The Author(s) 2015
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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X15608829
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Guest Editorial
From Criminogenic Risk
to Rehabilitation: Is There
a Need for a Culturally
Sensitive Approach?
An important analytical framework in research on non-specific (i.e., common) factors
that may contribute to successful prevention and treatment of delinquency is the risk-
need-responsivity (RNR) model (Andrews et al., 1990). The risk principle states that
the intensity of treatment should match the risk of (re)committing a criminal offense,
the need principle states that dynamic (i.e., changeable) criminogenic risk factors
should be assessed by agencies and targeted in treatment, and the responsivity princi-
ple states that treatment (cognitive-behavioral) should be fine-tailored to the learning
style, motivation, abilities, and strengths of the (potential) offender (Andrews &
Bonta, 2006). Andrews and Bonta (2010) provided empirical evidence showing that
interventions that adhere to the RNR model can substantially reduce criminal offense
recidivism.
The present issue of the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative
Criminology (IJOTCC) presents a number of articles that provide the RNR model with
further empirical content, as they focus on the identification and assessment of cultur-
ally specific criminogenic risk factors, including risks for unsuccessful rehabilitation
after detention, and the effectiveness of a culturally specific treatment program for sex
offenders, which particularly deals with the responsivity principle, that is, adjusting
treatment to specific characteristics of Inuit sex offenders. Applying the responsivity
principle would suggest that both the assessment of culturally specific risk factors and
the prospect of targeting these factors in culturally specific treatment programs may
contribute to the effectiveness of judicial interventions (Van der Put, Stams, Deković,
Hoeve, & Van der Laan, 2013).
Tzoumakis, Lussier, and Corrado examined intergenerational transmission of anti-
social behavior through parenting practices in mothers of preschoolers. They found
that maternal delinquency was associated with both adverse parenting practices (e.g.,
inconsistent discipline) and children’s physical aggression. Interestingly, mothers
showing negative parenting practices also showed positive parenting behaviors, pro-
viding the opportunity to focus on existing parenting skills in treatment targeting
Corresponding Author:
Geert Jan J. M. Stams, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam,
Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, Room D9.21, Postbox 15780, 1001 NG Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Email: g.j.j.m.stams@uva.nl
608829IJO XX X 10.1177/0306624X15608829International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyStams
research-article 2015