What Works in Reducing the Risk of Recidivism in the Maltese Context? An Evaluation of a Reintegrative Community-Based Rehabilitation Program.

Abstract

This quantitative study assessed the efficacy of a community-based rehabilitation program implemented by RISe Foundation Malta, designed to facilitate the reintegration of incarcerated individuals within the last 12 months before release. The intervention, grounded in the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) Model and the Good Lives Model (GLM), aimed to mitigate recidivism by addressing dynamic risk factors associated with criminality. A retrospective analysis of 40 archived case files of program completers was conducted, extracting relevant data from reports to evaluate pre- and post-intervention changes. The data were analyzed using McNemar's test in SPSS. Results revealed a significant reduction in the presence of dynamic risk factors-such as issues related to social and psychological needs-following program completion. These findings provide empirical support for the application of the RNR and GLM models in community-based rehabilitation, demonstrating their potential to effectively reduce the propensity for reoffending.