Conducting Randomized Controlled Trials of Complex Interventions in Prisons: A Sisyphean Task?
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) are the “gold standard” for measuring the effectiveness of an intervention. However, they have their limitations and are especially complex in prison settings. Several systematic reviews have highlighted some of the issues, including, institutional constraints e.g....
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.839958/full |
| _version_ | 1811252845270269952 |
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| author | Charlotte Lennox Sarah Leonard Jane Senior Caroline Hendricks Sarah Rybczynska-Bunt Cath Quinn Richard Byng Jenny Shaw |
| author_facet | Charlotte Lennox Sarah Leonard Jane Senior Caroline Hendricks Sarah Rybczynska-Bunt Cath Quinn Richard Byng Jenny Shaw |
| author_sort | Charlotte Lennox |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) are the “gold standard” for measuring the effectiveness of an intervention. However, they have their limitations and are especially complex in prison settings. Several systematic reviews have highlighted some of the issues, including, institutional constraints e.g., “lock-downs,” follow-ups, contamination of allocation conditions and a reliance on self-report measures. In this article, we reflect on our experiences and will describe two RCTs. People in prison are a significantly disadvantaged and vulnerable group, ensuring equitable and effective interventions is key to reducing inequality and promoting positive outcomes. We ask are RCTs of complex interventions in prisons a sisyphean task? We certainly don't think so, but we propose that current accepted practice and research designs may be limiting our understanding and ability to test complex interventions in the real-world context of prisons. RCTs will always have their place, but designs need to be flexible and adaptive, with the development of other rigorous methods for evaluating impact of interventions e.g., non-randomized studies, including pre-post implementation studies. With robust research we can deliver quality evidence-based healthcare in prisons – after all the degree of civilization in a society is revealed by entering its prisons. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T16:41:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e20fe33e7a534409bc9d39ee1f32f783 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T16:41:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-e20fe33e7a534409bc9d39ee1f32f7832022-12-22T03:24:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402022-05-011310.3389/fpsyt.2022.839958839958Conducting Randomized Controlled Trials of Complex Interventions in Prisons: A Sisyphean Task?Charlotte Lennox0Sarah Leonard1Jane Senior2Caroline Hendricks3Sarah Rybczynska-Bunt4Cath Quinn5Richard Byng6Jenny Shaw7Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United KingdomDivision of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United KingdomDivision of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United KingdomDivision of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United KingdomCommunity and Primary Care Research Group, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United KingdomCommunity and Primary Care Research Group, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United KingdomCommunity and Primary Care Research Group, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United KingdomDivision of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United KingdomRandomized Controlled Trials (RCT) are the “gold standard” for measuring the effectiveness of an intervention. However, they have their limitations and are especially complex in prison settings. Several systematic reviews have highlighted some of the issues, including, institutional constraints e.g., “lock-downs,” follow-ups, contamination of allocation conditions and a reliance on self-report measures. In this article, we reflect on our experiences and will describe two RCTs. People in prison are a significantly disadvantaged and vulnerable group, ensuring equitable and effective interventions is key to reducing inequality and promoting positive outcomes. We ask are RCTs of complex interventions in prisons a sisyphean task? We certainly don't think so, but we propose that current accepted practice and research designs may be limiting our understanding and ability to test complex interventions in the real-world context of prisons. RCTs will always have their place, but designs need to be flexible and adaptive, with the development of other rigorous methods for evaluating impact of interventions e.g., non-randomized studies, including pre-post implementation studies. With robust research we can deliver quality evidence-based healthcare in prisons – after all the degree of civilization in a society is revealed by entering its prisons.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.839958/fullprisonrandomized controlled trialsinterventionsoffendingmental health |
| spellingShingle | Charlotte Lennox Sarah Leonard Jane Senior Caroline Hendricks Sarah Rybczynska-Bunt Cath Quinn Richard Byng Jenny Shaw Conducting Randomized Controlled Trials of Complex Interventions in Prisons: A Sisyphean Task? Frontiers in Psychiatry prison randomized controlled trials interventions offending mental health |
| title | Conducting Randomized Controlled Trials of Complex Interventions in Prisons: A Sisyphean Task? |
| title_full | Conducting Randomized Controlled Trials of Complex Interventions in Prisons: A Sisyphean Task? |
| title_fullStr | Conducting Randomized Controlled Trials of Complex Interventions in Prisons: A Sisyphean Task? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conducting Randomized Controlled Trials of Complex Interventions in Prisons: A Sisyphean Task? |
| title_short | Conducting Randomized Controlled Trials of Complex Interventions in Prisons: A Sisyphean Task? |
| title_sort | conducting randomized controlled trials of complex interventions in prisons a sisyphean task |
| topic | prison randomized controlled trials interventions offending mental health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.839958/full |
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