CAN BIBLIOTHERAPY REDUCE RECIDIVISM?
In addition to selection effects described above, there are other complicating factors which make it impossible for us to isolate the impact of the bibliotherapy on the subsequent offending behavior of the participants. This program, as designed and implemented, involved more than a simple bibliotherapeutic intervention. The positive role modeling provided by the presentations by businessmen may also influence the outcomes. We also cannot determine the extent to which variation in the outcomes can be attributed to the effect of the facilitators in this program, which will have implications for the success of replication efforts in other jurisdictions. There are other issues to consider here. While it is true that for many adults the threat (or even the experience) of incarceration serves as a deterrent to future criminal behavior, for others it is not enough. As Meisenhelder (1977) suggests, equally important is the “offender’s emerging desire to settle down” (p. 325). Once this desire
