Working Alliance, Risk, and Recidivism: A Community-Based Corrections Analysis

The relationship between the working alliance and rates of recidivism for individuals on probation or parole has been underexplored, and what information has been reported provides inconsistent findings. This study sought out to explore this relationship further by examining the degree to which client perceptions (N = 145) of the working alliance were related to, and predicted, general and violent recidivism measured as reconviction. Results revealed that working alliance ratings were not significantly different between clients who recidivated and those who did not and did not predict future recidivism. Results also revealed that client age and risk predicted subsequent recidivism, while client perceptions of the working alliance did not. Implications for supervising officers in community corrections and recommendations for future research are discussed.