Maletzky (2006) Flashcards
aim
To investigate whether MPA reduces sexual recidivism versus no treatment
sample
275 men in Oregon
who were assessed before release for whether MPA would reduce their risk of recidivism
60% of the offences committed by the men were sexual
what type of data was used in the research
retrospective data
as it looked at the history of these inmates after their release
how was the data collected
questionnaires for the supervising officers- outcome data for recidivism, re-arrested, violation of parole conditions
supervising officer - said whether or not the offender was ‘doing well’ or not
3 conditions of the experiment
79 recommended to and received
55 recommended to but did not receive
141 not recommended to
Briefly describe the procedure of this study.
Retrospective data gathered through looking back over 275 inmates after their release to look at recidivism rate to compare those on the MPA programme with those not on treatment
The dose of MPA was an injection every two weeks
Data was collected from supervising officers with questionnaires about whether new offences had been committed, violation of parole had occurred, or any re-arrests of sexual nature
results
70% of homosexual paedophiles received MPA, compared to 46% of men with heterosexual paedophilia
0% of sexual offenders re-offended with treatment whereas 58.8% re-offended (sexual offence) without MPA who were recommended MPA , compared to 21% of those who were not recommended MPA
conclusions
MPA reduces recidivism
However may not be effective for everyone as some could not receive due to limited local resources
Deciding who ‘needs’ the medication was not a valid measure
generalisability
P - low
E - even though there was a alarge sample size of 275, only white, male offenders from Oregon were used, which makes the study ethnocentric and androcentric
E - cannot be applied to wider society, such as women or people from different cltures
reliability
p - high
E - uses quantitative data for recidivism rates and the amount who committed new offences
E - objective and easy to compare the results between groups, without introducing bias
applications
P - yes, demonstrates the need for treatment
E - MPA reduces sexual recidivism in offenders
E - makes society a safer place as less people would be at risk of being a victim of sexual crime, and people could volunteer to have the treatment if they feel the urge to commit a sexual crime
validity
P - Low
E - supervisors asked if the offender was ‘doing well’
E - this involves subjectivity to interpret their wellbeing, and could be influenced by re-offending, and perceptions could differ between supervisors
P - high
E - Variety of different measures when looking at outcome data including whether offenders were ‘doing well’ and whether they were ‘back in prison’
E - rich and valid data for the use of MPA as the outcomes focused on more then just recidivism
ethics
P - High
E - used retrospective data which avoided the ethical issue of not giving some people MPA when they were recommended it, as the research had already occured
E - this creates protection from harm as the research has not caused anyone to be withheld beneficial treatment
