Criminal justice

Psychiatry

Internal medicine

Surgery

Psychology

Randomized controlled trial

Psychological intervention

Recidivism

Prison

Medicine

Criminology

Meta-analysis

The Lancet Psychiatry

Repeat offending, also known as criminal recidivism, in people released from prison has remained high over many decades. To address this, psychological treatments have been increasingly used in criminal justice settings; however, there is little evidence about their effectiveness. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in prison to reduce recidivism after release.

Effectiveness of psychological interventions in prison to reduce recidivism: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials