Responsivity Principle
The responsivity principle states that rehabilitative programming should be delivered in a style
and mode that is consistent with the ability and learning style of the offender.36 The responsivity
principle is further divided into two elements. The general responsivity principle states that
cognitive-behavioral and social learning therapies are the most effective form of intervention.37
The specific responsivity principle states that treatment should consider the relevant
characteristics of the offender (e.g., the offender’s motivations, preferences, personality, age,
gender, ethnicity, and cultural identification, along with other factors).
However, risk and needs assessment systems are not flawless. There will likely be some false
positives (e.g., inmates who are identified as high-risk but who do not recidivate) and false
negatives (e.g., inmates who are identified as low-risk but go on to commit new crimes). Even
though the predictive accuracy of instruments has improved over the years with more research
into the correlates of crime, the recognition that the assessments need to be validated on the
population they are being used for, and the development of a theory of criminal behavior and
effective rehabilitation (i.e., the RNR model) that serves as a guiding framework for building an
effective correctional system, under the best conditions, risk assessment correctly predicts
recidivism 70% of the time.
