Table 1.
Study characteristics, characteristics of technology, and advantages and disadvantages per study.
| Authors, country | Study: Study goal, design, effectiveness | Technology: Technology, target group and goal | Advantages and disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1: Interactive, predominantly language-based interventions | |||
| Berman et al. (37); Sweden |
Goal: Describing of user’s flow through a hearing voices intervention Design: Qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: An automated interactive voice response service of the complex telephone-linked care type which conducts automated telephone conversations with patients Target group: Forensic psychiatric outpatients and probationers convicted of violent crimes Goal: Reducing impulsivity by offering automated psycho-educational interventions based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and Motivational interviewing |
Advantages: Intervention accessibility; simulation of situations; potentially effective Disadvantages: Difficult to implement |
| Chaple et al. (38); USA |
Goal: Evaluating the feasibility of implementing a therapeutic education system (E-TES) in a prison via inmate participation, satisfaction, and skills acquisition Design: Experimental study (Stratified Randomized Trial). Control: treatment-as-usual Effectiveness: More effective |
Technology: Computerized intervention: therapeutic education system (E-TES) with interactive multimedia modules Target group: Prisoners (male and female) with substance use disorders Goal: Learning drug refusal skills, coping with thoughts about using, identifying/managing triggers based on psychosocial treatments |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; care in secured settings; lowering threshold; intervention accessibility; tailoring; effective; costs; easy to implement; standardized delivery Disadvantages: Patient’s opinion; therapeutic relationship; difficult to implement |
| Cunningham et al. (39); Canada |
Goal: Comparing computer- and therapist-delivered interventions in the Emergency Department on feasibility and effectiveness Design: Experimental study (three-armed randomized controlled trial). Controls: no intervention or other intervention Effectiveness: More effective |
Technology: Interactive multimedia computer program, viewed on tablet laptops (SafERteens) Target group: Adolescents (14–18) reporting alcohol use and violence in the past year Goal: Changing attitudes, self-efficacy and readiness to change alcohol use and violence |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; fun; tailoring; effective; costs Disadvantages: Patient’s opinion |
| Cunningham et al. (40); Canada |
Goal: Evaluating the efficacy of behavioral interventions on peer violence and alcohol misuse at 12 months Design: Experimental study (three-armed randomized controlled trial). Controls: no intervention or other intervention Effectiveness: Ineffective |
Technology: Interactive multimedia computer program, viewed on tablet laptops (SafERteens) Target group: Adolescents (14–18) reporting alcohol use and violence in the past year Goal: Changing attitudes, self-efficacy and readiness to change alcohol use and violence |
Advantages: Effective Disadvantages: Therapeutic relationship; Not effective |
| Elison et al. (41); UK |
Goal: Exploring Breaking Free Online’s potential to provide support to prisoners’ substance misuse recovery and continuity of care post-release Design: Cross-sectional study—quantitative; and qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Computer-assisted therapy intervention with several sessions (breaking free online) Target group: Prisoners with substance misuse difficulties Goal: Supporting prisoners in strengthening their resilience and build their recovery capital through a range of coping skills, based on cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; lowering threshold; intervention accessibility; potentially effective; time Disadvantages: Technological experience; misuse of technology; high costs; difficult to implement |
| Lee et al. (42); USA |
Goal: Comparing baseline characteristics and treatment outcomes of forensic patients with participants with no criminal involvement in a psychosocial addiction treatment study Design: Experimental study (RCT). Control: treatment-as-usual Effectiveness: Ineffective |
Technology: Web-based substance use intervention (therapeutic education system; E-TES) Target group: Forensic outpatients in the first 30 days of their substance abuse treatment program Goal: Treating addiction via a psychosocial web-based intervention |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; effective Disadvantages: Lack of evidence in general |
| Levesque et al. (27); USA |
Goal: The development of a stage-based computer-tailored intervention and assessment of its acceptability Design: Qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Multimedia computer-tailored intervention (Rise Above Your Situation) Target group: Court-mandated juvenile offenders with substance abuse or mental health problems Goal: Addressing responsivity by tailoring assessments and guidance to stage of change based on the transtheoretical model of change |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; care provider’s opinion; tailoring; potentially effective; costs; time; sensitive information; standardized delivery; behavior change theory |
| Levesque et al. (27); USA |
Goal: Examining whether journey to change could improve outcomes of domestic violence treatment Design: Experimental study (RCT). Control: treatment-as-usual Effectiveness: More effective |
Technology: Multimedia computer-tailored intervention and print guide (journey to change) Target group: Domestic violence offenders Goal: Preventing domestic violence perpetration by individualized feedback based on the transtheoretical model of change |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; tailoring; effective; costs; time; standardized delivery Disadvantages: Not effective |
| Levesque et al. (43); USA |
Goal: Examining the opinions of male batterers on an intervention program Design: Cross-sectional study—quantitative Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Expert system: computer programs that mimic the reasoning and problem solving of a human expert Target group: Domestic violence offenders in court-mandated programs Goal: Activating processes of change in domestic violence offenders based on the transtheoretical model of change |
Advantage: Patient’s opinion; potentially effective; costs Disadvantage: Patient’s opinion |
| Neville et al. (44); UK |
Goal: Exploring the existence of relevant violence brief interventions Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: (1) Computerized brief interventions and (2) a touch-screen computer and a video of intimate partner violence (IPV) Target group: Young men undergoing treatment for a violent injury Goal: Reducing violence |
Advantage: Fun; time Disadvantage: Not effective |
| Spohr et al. (45); USA |
Goal: Assessing preferences and evaluating the role of voluntary electronic reminders in achieving early treatment and probation tasks Design: Experimental study (three-armed RCT). Controls: other intervention or treatment-as-usual Effectiveness: More effective |
Technology: Web-based intervention with text or email reminders (Motivational Assessment Program to Initiate Treatment; MAPIT) Target group: Drug-involved offenders near the start of probation Goal: Targeting individual substance use and initiating treatment, based on behavioral theories |
Advantages: Effective; costs |
| Tait and Lenton (46); Australia |
Goal: Systematically reviewing the evidence for the effectiveness of online interventions in reducing sexual violence or IPV Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Web-based technologies Target group: People who perpetrate alcohol-related sexual violence or IPV Goal: Reducing sexual violence and alcohol use |
Advantages: Care in secured settings; lowering threshold Disadvantages: Lack of evidence in general |
| Ranney et al. (47); USA |
Goal: Examining the secondary effects of a brief alcohol-and-violence ED intervention on depressive symptoms Design: Experimental study (three-armed RCT). Controls: other intervention or treatment-as-usual Effectiveness: More effective |
Technology: Interactive multimedia computer program, viewed on tablet laptops (SafERteens) Target group: Adolescents (14–18) reporting alcohol use and violence in the past year Goal: Changing attitudes, self-efficacy and readiness to change alcohol use and violence |
Advantages: Effective Disadvantages: Not effective |
| Walters et al. (48); USA |
Goal: Developing a web-based intervention for substance abusing criminal justice clients Design: Qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Web-based, automated intervention on a tablet computer (MAPIT) Target group: Criminal justice clients with substance abuse problems, near the start of probation Goal: Increasing motivation for substance abuse treatment among clients using illicit substances |
Advantages: Costs; standardized delivery |
| Walton et al. (49); USA |
Goal: Determining the efficacy of brief interventions addressing violence and alcohol use among adolescents in an urban ED Design: Experimental study (three-armed RCT). Controls: other intervention or treatment-as-usual Effectiveness: More effective |
Technology: Tablet laptop computer with an interactive animated program with touch screens and audio via headphones (SafERteens) Target group: Adolescents reporting past year alcohol use and aggression in the Emergency Department Goal: Decreasing the occurrence of peer violence following an ED visit |
Advantages: Effective; standardized delivery Disadvantages: Not effective |
| Wannachaiyakul et al. (50); Thailand |
Goal: Investigating the effectiveness of a computerized program for reducing depression among youths with delinquency problems Design: Experimental study (RCT). Control: treatment-as-usual Effectiveness: More effective |
Technology: Computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy Target group: Youths (14–18 at time of offense) in a juvenile vocational training left Goal: Reducing depression among youths in the detention left who have a different context and have limitations accessing traditional CBT |
Advantages: Fit technological climate; effective Disadvantages: Patient’s opinion |
| Wilson et al. (51); Australia |
Goal: Exploring whether an online intervention is acceptable, user friendly and contains useful content Design: Qualitative; and cross-sectional quantitative (pilot study) Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Online web-based intervention, accessible via desktop, mobile phone, or tablet Target group: First-time convicted drink driving offenders Goal: Creating awareness in drink driving and associated alcohol-related behavior to prevent reoffending |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; tailoring; costs; behavior change theory Disadvantages: Experience with technology |
| Category 2: Communication technology for synchronous interpersonal interaction | |||
| Absalom-Horby et al. (52); UK |
Goal: Examining the attitudes of staff and relatives of forensic patients toward taking part in an online family intervention Design: Cross-sectional—quantitative Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology: web camera facilitation for family intervention (e-FFI) Target group: Service users of medium secure forensic units with schizophrenia and their family Goal: Delivering psychological interventions through the use of Internet technologies such as webcams |
Advantages: Family’s opinion; geographical barriers Disadvantages: Care provider’s opinion; family’s opinion |
| Absalom-Hornby et al. (53); UK |
Goal: Describing the implementation a web camera to facilitate a family intervention (e-FFI) in the treatment of schizophrenia Design: Cross-sectional—quantitative (n = 1 study) Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology: web camera facilitation for family intervention (e-FFI) Target group: Forensic service users on forensic wards with a diagnosis on schizophrenia spectrum and their families Goal: Treating schizophrenia within a forensic service via family interventions |
Advantages: Family’s opinion; potentially effective; costs |
| Adjorlolo and Chan (54); China |
Goal: Providing issues and practice considerations that enhance the results of forensic assessments with video conferencing Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Forensic psychiatric patients and psychologists Goal: Obtaining accurate, reliable, and valid assessment results |
Advantages: Care in secured settings; costs Disadvantages: Mental or physical disease; faulty technology; slow connection |
| Antonacci et al. (55); USA |
Goal: Reviewing empirical evidence on the use and effectiveness, specifically on forensic psychiatry Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Forensic psychiatric patients and therapists Goal: Providing or supporting clinical psychiatric care at a distance |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; care in secured settings; effectiveness based on reviews Disadvantages: Overhearing; lack of evidence in general |
| Ax et al. (56); USA |
Goal: Describing innovations in the assessment and treatment of incarcerated individuals Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Correctional mental healthcare; prisoners Goal: Delivering health-care services over a distance between specialty services and non-specialty correction facilities |
Advantages: Geographical barriers; care in secured settings Disadvantages: Lack of evidence in general; high costs |
| Batastini et al. (57); USA |
Goal: Providing information on video teleconferencing in forensic and correctional practice Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Forensic psychiatric patients in criminal justice settings Goal: Several goals: forensic mental health assessment (e.g., competency determinations, sexually violent predator evaluations), juvenile rehabilitation, group treatment for inmates in segregations |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; geographical barriers; care in secured settings; lowering threshold; fit technological climate; effectiveness based on reviews; costs; time Disadvantages: Care provider’s opinion; overhearing; therapeutic relationship; lack of evidence in general; faulty technology |
| Batastini et al. (58); USA |
Goal: Summarizing all evaluations of telepsychological services that involve videoconferencing equipment in forensic psychiatry Design: Literature study (systematic review and meta-analysis) Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Justice-involved substance abusing clients Goal: Connect agencies in need of services to agencies that render such services, therefore reducing relapse and recidivism among substance abuse and offender clients |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; lowering threshold; effectiveness based on reviews Disadvantages: Mental or physical disease; technological experience; detecting subtle behaviors; lack of evidence in general |
| Brodey et al. (59); USA |
Goal: Determining the level of satisfaction with telepsychiatry evaluations Design: Qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Forensic psychiatric patient inmates in a large urban jail Goal: Using telepsychiatry for delivering psychiatric services |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; geographical barriers; potential effectiveness; time Disadvantages: Patient’s opinion |
| Farabee et al. (60); USA |
Goal: Comparing the effectiveness of telepsychiatry and in-person treatment-as-usual among parolees Design: Quasi-experimental study (randomized field experiment). Control group: treatment-as-usual Effectiveness: More effective |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Parolees from outpatient clinics who received psychiatric care Goal: Offering psychiatric treatment via videoconferencing |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; effective Disadvantages: Therapeutic relationship; faulty technology |
| Khalifa et al. (61); UK |
Goal: Literature review on forensic applications of telepsychiatry Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Forensic psychiatric patients and their therapists Goal: Delivering mental health services from a distance |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; care provider’s opinion; geographical barriers; care in secured settings; effectiveness based on reviews; costs; time Disadvantages: Care provider’s opinion; data storage; overhearing; detecting subtle behaviors; lack of evidence in general; high costs; difficult to implement; faulty technology |
| Manfredi et al. (62); USA |
Goal: Determining the feasibility of telepsychiatric consultations in an underserved rural jail Design: Qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Jail inmates who requested or were found to be in need of psychiatric care Goal: Increasing access to psychiatric treatment |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; care provider’s opinion; care in secured settings; geographical barriers; time Disadvantages: Lack of evidence in general |
| Miller et al. (63); USA |
Goal: Highlighting the use of teleconferencing for improving access to mental health care for forensic patients Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Forensic clinical practice patients in a child psychiatry outpatient clinic Goal: Improving access to services like evaluations, assessment, medication management and treatment coordination |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; care provider’s opinion; geographical barriers; costs Disadvantages: Data storage; high costs; difficult to implement; no legislation |
| Miller et al. (64); USA |
Goal: This study defined telepsychiatry and provided an innovative model of telepsychiatry care delivery in forensic evaluation clinic Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Patients of child and adolescent forensic clinics Goal: Assessing and treating forensic psychiatric patients |
Advantages: Costs; time Disadvantages: Care provider’s opinion; data storage; therapeutic relationship; high costs; faulty technology; slow connection; no protocols |
| Saleem et al. (65); UK |
Goal: An overview of forensic telepsychiatry in the UK and highlighting practical considerations Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Videoconferencing technology Target group: Community forensic service clients Goal: Providing mental health services in a medicolegal context: forensic evaluations, clinical consultation and education |
Advantages: Costs; time Disadvantages: Care provider’s opinion; therapeutic relationship; difficult to implement; no legislation |
| Sales et al. (66); UK |
Goal: Literature review on forensic applications of telepsychiatry—update of Khalifa et al. (61) Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Forensic psychiatric patients and their therapists Goal: Delivering mental health services from a distance |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; geographical barriers; intervention accessibility; costs; time Disadvantages: Overhearing; detecting subtle behaviors; lack of evidence in general; costs; implementation; no protocols |
| Sullivan et al. (67); Australia |
Goal: Providing an Australian perspective on the use of videoconferencing by forensic mental health services Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Videoconferencing technology Target group: Forensic psychiatric patients Goal: Linking remote prisons, courts and psychiatric clinics with distant specialist services, enabling activities including assessment and treatment |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; geographical barriers; effectiveness based on reviews; costs; time Disadvantages: Overhearing; slow connection; no legislation |
| Tucker et al. (68); USA |
Goal: Assessing inmate preferences for telemedicine psychiatric consultation compared to regular care Design: Qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video conferencing technology Target group: Inmates who receive psychiatric telemedicine consultations Goal: Delivering different kinds of mental services via telemedicine |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; time; sensitive information Disadvantages: Patient’s opinion |
| Category 3: Simulations of offense-related realistic situations | |||
| Arborelius et al. (69); Sweden |
Goal: Evaluating of a computer-based system for its effectiveness in distinguishing between offenders and a comparison group Design: Cross-sectional study—quantitative Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Realistically simulated visual events on a computer (reactions on display) Target group: Forensic psychiatric patients convicted of violent criminal acts Goal: Investigating how offenders understand and interpret social interactions and react to emotions and violence, for both assessment and treatment |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; potentially effective |
| Fromberger et al. (70); Germany |
Goal: Showing that virtual reality (VR) has an especially high potential for forensic psychiatry Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: VR Target group: Forensic psychiatric patients Goal: Improving quality of forensic psychiatric care in general |
Advantages: Care in secured settings; lowering threshold; ecological validity Disadvantages: Misuse of technology; lack of evidence in general |
| Hubal et al. (71); USA |
Goal: Using embodied conversational agents (ECAs) vignettes for predicting treatment response and misconduct Design: Quasi-experimental study (pre-test–post-test). Control: no intervention Effectiveness: Ineffective |
Technology: ECAs: virtual characters rendered on a monitor with whom a user converses Target group: Prisoners in correctional institutions Goal: Measuring social competency by simulating real interactions with other people; assessing decision-making in a social context through virtual role-playing |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; effective; ecological validity Disadvantages: Technological experience; overhearing; negative affect; not effective; faulty technology |
| Montgomery and Brooks (72); USA |
Goal: Reviewing the progress of incompetent defendants in a program using a television crime-drama “Law and Order” Design: Quasi-experimental study (pre- and post-test) Effectiveness: More effective |
Technology: A didactic program, using a popular crime drama series (via TV)—Law and Order Target group: Defendants incompetent to stand trial Goal: Improving the treatment goal of competency restoration |
Advantages: Effective |
| Sygel et al. (73); Sweden |
Goal: Investigating how male offenders used and reacted to a new interactive computer compared to a control group Design: Cross-sectional study—quantitative, and qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Computer-based simulation: a film of an IPV scenario, interactive questions (reactions on display/IPV) Target group: Male offenders convicted of IPV toward women Goal: Facilitating change in the participant’s violent behavior by allowing him to reflect upon feelings, thoughts and actions during a typical IPV case and practice responses |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; potentially effective; sensitive information Disadvantages: Negative affect |
| Wijk et al. (74); Sweden |
Goal: Developing and pilot testing a simulation system to study and support rehabilitation of mentally disordered offenders Design: Qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Computer-based simulation system with videos of a person carrying out everyday activities and decision points (reactions on display) Target group: Mentally disordered ward and outpatients who conducted a violent crime, and had a psychotic illness or autistic traits Goal: Learning more about patients and identifying dynamic risk factors, and improving rehabilitation |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; care provider’s opinion; intervention accessibility; fun; ecological validity |
| Category 4: Simulations of realistic offense-related stimuli | |||
| Benbouriche et al. (75); Canada |
Goal: Introducing VR applications in the context of forensic psychiatry Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: VR of 3D computer-generated stimuli of children and a virtual character expressing pain Target group: Child sexual abusers and violent offenders Goal: Measuring deviant sexual interest to predict sexual reoffending and training participants to improve empathic responses |
Advantages: Effectiveness based on reviews; ecological validity; physiological reactions |
| Dennis et al. (76); Canada |
Goal: Determining the perceived age of virtual characters and measuring sexual arousal by using computer-generated images Design: Cross-sectional study—quantitative Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Large screen with virtual characters and penile plethysmography (PPG) to measure sexual arousal Target group: Sex offenders Goal: Reliably differentiating sex offenders by means of partner receptivity |
Advantages: Potentially effective; ecological validity; physiological reactions Disadvantages: High costs |
| Renaud et al. (77); Canada |
Goal: Comparing a VR compared to a standard auditory modality to generate sexual arousal profiles Design: Cross-sectional study—quantitative Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: VR with 3D virtual characters depicted naked, PPG Target group: Sex offenders, pedophilia Goal: Assessing pedophilia and profiles with high ecological validity |
Advantages: Fun; potentially effective; ecological validity |
| Renaud et al. (78); Canada |
Goal: Validating avatars used in the assessment and treatment of deviant sexual preferences Design: Cross-sectional study—quantitative Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: VR with avatars, eye-tracking devices and PPG Target group: Paraphiliacs with deviant sexual preferences Goal: Assessing and treating deviant sexual preferences in a valid way |
Advantages: Physiological reactionsDisadvantages: Lack of evidence in general |
| Category 5: Games | |||
| Bacon et al. (79); Australia |
Goal: Describing the use of the Nintendo Wii Fit in changing engagement in physical activity for patients at risk of obesity Design: Cross-sectional study—quantitative; and qualitative study (case studies) Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Wii Fit: competitive Wii games where bodily movements are required to play them Target group: Patients at a secure forensic mental health hospital with a BMI between 25 and 32 Goal: Use in rehabilitation to assist in meeting physical activity goals and increasing well-being |
Advantages: Lowering threshold; fun; potentially effective Disadvantages: Difficult to implement |
| Gooch and Living (80); UK |
Goal: Comparing findings from videogame research with those among forensic psychiatry Design: Literature study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Video games: regular, commercial games Target group: Forensic clients Goal: Supporting the recovery process and serving as a useful relapse prevention strategy by promoting locus of control |
Advantages: Geographical barriers; care in secured settings; fit technological climate; simulation of situations; fun; effectiveness based on reviews Disadvantages: Negative affect; lack of evidence in general |
| Hodge et al. (81); UK |
Goal: Testing the feasibility and acceptance of a serious game and describing the development of the prototype game with service users Design: Qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Computer-based serious game (StreetWise) Target group: Secure forensic mental health service users Goal: Supporting and enhancing the rehabilitation of forensic mental health service users prior to their discharge and return to the community |
Advantages: Patient’s opinion; care provider’s opinion; simulation of situations Disadvantages: Care provider’s opinion; technological experience |
| Reynolds et al. (82); UK |
Goal: A feasibility study to develop and test the acceptability and usability of a serious game developed with and for service users and providers Design: Qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Computer-based serious game (StreetWise) Target group: Secure forensic mental health service users Goal: Supporting and enhancing the rehabilitation of forensic mental health service users prior to their discharge and return to the community |
Advantages: Fit technological climate; simulation of situations; fun; potential effectiveness; ecological validity; sensitive information Disadvantages: Patient’s opinion; negative affect; therapeutic relationship; misuse of technology; lack of evidence in general; difficult to implement |
| Category 6: Platforms with user-generated and shared content | |||
| Kernsmith and Kernsmith (83); USA |
Goal: Exploring processes of change and barriers to rehabilitation in an online self-help group for sex offenders Design: Qualitative study Effectiveness: Not assessed |
Technology: Website/forum with messages: online self-help group Target group: Sex offenders Goal: Facilitating a supportive environment but does not providing therapy, based on a cognitive-behavioral model |
Advantages: Lowering threshold; potentially effective Disadvantages: Misuse of technology |
| Van Gelder et al. (84)Netherlands/USA |
Goal: Testing whether a future online self reduces delinquent involvement Design: Quasi-experimental study (field experiment). Control group: other intervention Effectiveness: More effective |
Technology: Social media with daily messages of a future self (Facebook) Target group: Delinquent individuals Goal: Reducing delinquent behavior/involvement |
Advantages: Fit technological climate; effective; time; easy to implement |