The history of MRT begins with the early implementation of Moral Reconation Therapy- MRT® as a cognitive-behavioral intervention in correctional settings. In 1987, CCI staff began providing Moral Reconation Therapy- MRT® at the Shelby County Corrections Center in Tennessee. At that time, this work marked one of the earliest operational uses of cognitive-behavioral programming for justice-involved populations.
Early on, MRT stood out as one of the first cognitive-behavioral approaches fully developed into structured treatment workbooks. Dr. Greg Little and Dr. Kenneth Robinson developed the program to address decision-making, moral reasoning, and behavioral accountability. Because of the immediate positive impact, MRT expanded beyond pilot use and became available to the general inmate population. In addition, programs began using MRT within specialized treatment settings.
As MRT continued to evolve, the program gained national recognition. During the late 1980s, the first MRT programs received several national awards for innovation and effectiveness. Soon after, MRT expanded beyond correctional environments and entered youth-focused social programs in Puerto Rico. At the same time, MRT became part of the early drug court movement during the 1990s as courts adopted structured cognitive-behavioral interventions.
A major milestone in the history of MRT occurred in 2008. At that point, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recognized MRT as an Evidence-Based Program. As a result, this designation reflected a growing body of research that demonstrated MRT’s effectiveness across diverse populations and treatment settings.
[SAMHSA Evidence-Based Programs page]
Today, MRT includes a wide range of structured workbooks designed to address many treatment needs. In fact, several hundred research studies document MRT outcomes and support its continued use across justice, behavioral health, and treatment systems.
Currently, programs in all 50 states and nine countries use MRT materials. These programs address a broad range of treatment issues and service environments. For example, specialized MRT workbooks support substance use treatment, DUI and DWI programs, domestic violence intervention, trauma-informed care, anger management, codependency, job readiness, parenting, juvenile services, Veterans programs, and additional rehabilitative settings.
[MRT Training and Certification page]
