An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Kainos Community
‘Challenge-to-Change’
programme in English prisons. University of Portsmouth
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Tom Ellis & Karen Shalev
Programme Effectiveness
This paper outlines the key research findings on the effectiveness of the Kainos
Community Challenge-to-Change programme (CtC). It is a hybrid programme using cognitive
behavioural work in a therapeutic community setting within the prison. Our evaluation
shows that CtC has been successful in improving both prison discipline prisons and
significantly reducing 2-year post-release reconviction rates.
Key Findings
From the start of CtC in 1997 through to 2003, CtC achieved a reconviction rate within
two years of release of 36%. Though there is no predicted figure to compare this
with for the whole period, it indicates that the programme is achieving a low and
sustained level of reconvictions.
Our more detailed analysis, for the period 1999-2003, shows that CtC achieved a reconviction
rate of 35%, significantly lower than a predicted rate of 50%: a reduction of 15.%
We also show that 74% of CtC participants were medium-to-high risk offenders and
it is clear that the programme is most successful when targeted at this group of
offenders, as CtC achieved significantly lower reconviction rates than predicted
for these medium-to-high risk offenders
CtC return to prison rates within two years for 1997-2003 are 12.8%. The most comparable
rate is the Home Office (2005) figure of 35% for all males released from prison in
2001 who were reconvicted to immediate custody within two years after release.
CtC participants achieved consistently lower prison discipline sanctions than non-participants
in the same prisons.
