Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT)
Definition
Greg Little and Kenneth Robinson's manualized group programme targeting moral reasoning development through structured workbook exercises. Widely used in US corrections; evidence base consists mainly of low-quality uncontrolled studies.
- Setting
- Primarily used in US corrections as a supplement to CBT
- Format
- Structured workbook-based group program
- Evidence quality
- Mainly low-quality uncontrolled studies; mixed outcomes
Common questions
What is Moral Reconation Therapy used for in corrections?+
MRT is a structured workbook-based intervention designed to help offenders develop better moral reasoning. It is primarily used in US corrections as a supplement to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), focusing on the principle that moral development can be improved through systematic exercises.
Who developed Moral Reconation Therapy?+
MRT was developed by Greg Little and Kenneth Robinson as a manualized group program. Their structured approach targets moral reasoning development through guided workbook exercises and has become widely used across US correctional facilities.
What does the research say about MRT's effectiveness?+
The evidence base for MRT is methodologically weak and outcomes are mixed. Most studies supporting its use consist of low-quality uncontrolled studies, meaning more rigorous research is needed to establish its true effectiveness.
Related terms
- ATSA
- Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (US); their 2014 practice standards set the international benchmark for assessment, treatment programme design, and...
- Community Treatment Order (CTO)
- A legal order under the Mental Health Act 1983 (England and Wales) requiring a patient discharged from hospital to adhere to specified...
- Criminogenic Need
- A dynamic risk factor that is causally linked to reoffending and that changes in response to intervention. Distinguished from non-criminogenic needs that...
- Dangerous Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD)
- A UK policy category (not a diagnostic term) for individuals assessed as presenting grave and immediate danger due to personality disorder. DSPD...
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Marsha Linehan's structured treatment for borderline personality disorder, combining acceptance and change strategies across four skill modules (mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation,...
- Good Lives Model (GLM)
- Tony Ward's strengths-based treatment framework, holding that offending reflects maladaptive pursuit of universal human goods. Effective treatment builds prosocial routes to those...
- Mentally Disordered Offender (MDO)
- An individual who has committed an offence and who has a diagnosable mental disorder that is aetiologically or functionally linked to that...
- Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST)
- Scott Henggeler's community-based intensive family therapy for serious juvenile offenders, targeting all ecological levels (family, peers, school, neighbourhood) simultaneously. Has strong RCT...
- NIMHANS
- National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore; India's principal academic forensic mental health centre, providing court-ordered assessments and limited forensic treatment...
- Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR)
- Andrews and Bonta's three-principle framework for corrections: match treatment intensity to risk level, target criminogenic needs, deliver in a responsive way. The...
- Schema-Focused Therapy (SFT)
- Jeffrey Young's CBT extension for personality disorder, addressing early maladaptive schemas through a combination of cognitive restructuring, experiential techniques, and the therapeutic...
- SOTP
- UK Sex Offender Treatment Programme, the largest structured sex-offender treatment system in England and Wales, withdrawn in 2017 after a Ministry of...
Explained in these topics
- Forensic Therapy: CBT, DBT and Mentally Disordered OffendersGreg Little and Kenneth Robinson's manualized group programme targeting moral reasoning development through structured workbook exercises. Widely used in US co...
- Sex-Offender Treatment: Risk-Need-Responsivity and the Good Lives ModelA structured workbook-based intervention targeting moral-reasoning development; used in US corrections as a supplement to CBT. The evidence base is methodologi...