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Moral Reconation Therapy® (MRT) (during incarceration)

Adult Criminal Justice
Benefit-cost methods last updated December 2024.  Literature review updated July 2024.
Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT®) is a cognitive-behavioral treatment program for justice-involved adults, particularly those with disordered substance use. The program aims to improve moral reasoning skills and development and to change beliefs and relationship patterns associated with criminal behavior. MRT is a rolling-enrollment group-based program typically led by trained facilitators or counselors. Participants complete and present to their group a series of individually completed assignments in a workbook; assignments are intended to support progression through stages or steps of moral development. We estimate that participants in the studies in this meta-analysis had access to approximately 47 group session program hours, on average. Program duration, frequency, and group size vary.
 
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BENEFIT-COST
META-ANALYSIS
CITATIONS
For an overview of WSIPP's Benefit-Cost Model, please see this guide. The estimates shown are present value, life cycle benefits and costs. All dollars are expressed in the base year chosen for this analysis (2023).  The chance the benefits exceed the costs are derived from a Monte Carlo risk analysis. The details on this, as well as the economic discount rates and other relevant parameters are described in our Technical Documentation.
Benefit-Cost Summary Statistics Per Participant
Benefits to:
Taxpayers $1,210 Benefits minus costs $3,586
Participants $0 Benefit to cost ratio $11.04
Others $2,306 Chance the program will produce
Indirect $427 benefits greater than the costs 72%
Total benefits $3,943
Net program cost ($357)
Benefits minus cost $3,586

Meta-analysis is a statistical method to combine the results from separate studies on a program, policy, or topic to estimate its effect on an outcome. WSIPP systematically evaluates all credible evaluations we can locate on each topic. The outcomes measured are the program impacts measured in the research literature (for example, impacts on crime or educational attainment). Treatment N represents the total number of individuals or units in the treatment group across the included studies.

An effect size (ES) is a standard metric that summarizes the degree to which a program or policy affects a measured outcome. If the effect size is positive, the outcome increases. If the effect size is negative, the outcome decreases. See Estimating Program Effects Using Effect Sizes for additional information on how we estimate effect sizes.

The effect size may be adjusted from the unadjusted effect size estimated in the meta-analysis. Historically, WSIPP adjusted effect sizes to some programs based on the methodological characteristics of the study. For programs reviewed in 2024 or later, we do not make additional adjustments, and we use the unadjusted effect size whenever we run a benefit-cost analysis.

Research shows the magnitude of effects may change over time. For those effect sizes, we estimate outcome-based adjustments, which we apply between the first time ES is estimated and the second time ES is estimated. More details about these adjustments can be found in our Technical Documentation.

Meta-Analysis of Program Effects
Outcomes measured Treatment age No. of effect sizes Treatment N Effect sizes (ES) and standard errors (SE) used in the benefit-cost analysis Unadjusted effect size (random effects model)
First time ES is estimated Second time ES is estimated
ES SE Age ES SE Age ES p-value
Crime
Any criminal conviction according to court records, sometimes measured through charges, arrests, incarceration, or self-report.
 29 2 689 -0.043 0.067 30 -0.043 0.067 38 -0.043 0.522
1In addition to the outcomes measured in the meta-analysis table, WSIPP measures benefits and costs estimated from other outcomes associated with those reported in the evaluation literature. For example, empirical research demonstrates that high school graduation leads to reduced crime. These associated measures provide a more complete picture of the detailed costs and benefits of the program.

2“Others” includes benefits to people other than taxpayers and participants. Depending on the program, it could include reductions in crime victimization, the economic benefits from a more educated workforce, and the benefits from employer-paid health insurance.

3“Indirect benefits” includes estimates of the net changes in the value of a statistical life and net changes in the deadweight costs of taxation.
Detailed Monetary Benefit Estimates Per Participant
Affected outcome: Resulting benefits:1 Benefits accrue to:
Taxpayers Participants Others2 Indirect3 Total
Crime Criminal justice system $1,210 $0 $2,306 $605 $4,121
Program cost Adjustment for deadweight cost of program $0 $0 $0 ($179) ($178)
Totals $1,210 $0 $2,306 $427 $3,943
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Detailed Annual Cost Estimates Per Participant
Annual cost Year dollars Summary
Program costs $357 2023 Present value of net program costs (in 2023 dollars) ($357)
Comparison costs $0 2023 Cost range (+ or -) 30%
The per-participant cost estimate is based on delivering a 47-hour program at a rate of $77 per hour (salary and benefits) for DOC Psychology Associate staff delivering this program, and assumes a typical group size of 10 participants. DOC provided information regarding hourly staff rate, program hours, and typical group size.
The figures shown are estimates of the costs to implement programs in Washington. The comparison group costs reflect either no treatment or treatment as usual, depending on how effect sizes were calculated in the meta-analysis. The cost range reported above reflects potential variation or uncertainty in the cost estimate; more detail can be found in our Technical Documentation.
Benefits Minus Costs
Benefits by Perspective
Taxpayer Benefits by Source of Value
Benefits Minus Costs Over Time (Cumulative Discounted Dollars)
The graph above illustrates the estimated cumulative net benefits per-participant for the first fifty years beyond the initial investment in the program. We present these cash flows in discounted dollars. If the dollars are negative (bars below $0 line), the cumulative benefits do not outweigh the cost of the program up to that point in time. The program breaks even when the dollars reach $0. At this point, the total benefits to participants, taxpayers, and others, are equal to the cost of the program. If the dollars are above $0, the benefits of the program exceed the initial investment.

Citations Used in the Meta-Analysis

Armstrong, T.A. (2003). The effect of Moral Reconation Therapy on the recidivism of youthful offenders: A randomized experiment. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 30(6), 668-687.

Johnson, S., Speir, J., Meredith, T., Baldwin, K., & Hull, H. (2007). Year four of the Georgia MRT/life skills outcome evaluation. Applied Research Services. Atlanta, GA.