Robert Martinson

Robert Martinson was an American criminologist known for his research on criminal rehabilitation. In the 1970s, he published a study summarizing various rehabilitation programs and concluded that most were ineffective, which led to the belief that “nothing works” in rehabilitating offenders. This idea influenced criminal justice policies, sparking debates about the effectiveness of rehabilitation versus punishment. Martinson's work emphasized the importance of evidence-based practices in corrections and highlighted the complexities of addressing criminal behavior, reinforcing the need for more effective strategies in the criminal justice system.