A Tale of Two Innovations: Motivational Interviewing and Core Correctional Practices in United States Probation

Abstract

The recent past in community supervision has witnessed the introduction of a number of new innovations intended to improve offender outcomes. While many of these innovations have focused on various ‘programs’, more recently the focus has shifted to officer supervision skills and their impact on outcomes. This chapter focuses on two broad officer skill sets, motivational interviewing and what has come to be known as core correctional practices. The chapter discusses the efforts of the United States probation system in implementing these skill sets, with a focus on how the implementation process may impact fidelity to the intervention and subsequent offender outcomes. Over a three-year period several hundred probation officers were trained in motivational interviewing (MI). While initial training was fairly standard, there was considerable variability in follow-up training, coaching and implementation practices. Scores based on the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) manual were collected from a sample of trained officers. The MITI revealed that very few officers were actually proficient in MI. Further, the outcomes of the trained officers’ caseloads before and after training were compared with the outcomes of caseloads belonging to officers who were not trained in MI. This comparison showed no significant differences in client success. A couple of years later, probation officers were trained in core correctional practices. Officers were provided with initial training and then several structured booster sessions to ensure that they were correctly using the skills.