Enhancing Homework Compliance in Correctional Psychotherapy

This study investigated the effects of three homework compliance enhancement strategies (task option, task modeling, and public commitment) on a sample of probationers' compliance with therapeutic homework tasks during the course of a multiphasic correctional treatment program. The study featured a within-subjects, counterbalanced, experimental design. Homework compliance was measured on the basis of therapists' record of probationers' homework completion (i.e., "yes/no" tally), as well as probationers' scores on the Homework Rating Scale-II Client and Therapist rater versions. Results were mixed but suggested that public commitment and task modeling are potentially useful strategies in enhancing probationers' beliefs about, expectations of, and compliance with therapeutic homework tasks. Furthermore, results provided preliminary support for the reliability of the Homework Rating Scale-II within correctional populations. Implications for correctional service delivery, treatment programming, and treatment outcome are discussed, as is the need for further research in this area.