NCJ Number
132046
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 53 Issue: 5 Dated: (August 1991) Pages: 102,104 106-108
Date Published
1991
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A cognitive-skills training program piloted by the Correctional Service of Canada in two regions of the country has yielded positive test and recidivism results.
Abstract
The program stems from the cognitive model of offender rehabilitation which reasons that since faulty thinking patterns lead to recidivism, treatment programs should target the way offenders think rather than the way they behave. Programs based on the cognitive model teach offenders prosocial thinking such as logical, objective, and rational reasoning. A social learning and educational approach is used to correct offenders' thinking styles that sustain criminal behavior. The Canadian program was introduced at four sites that encompass both community and institutional settings. Each program lasts approximately 12 weeks and uses small groups of six to eight inmates which meet in a classroom setting. Teaching methods include audiovisual aids, games, puzzles, reasoning exercises, lectures, seminars, and group discussions. The exercises require offenders to use interpersonal problemsolving skills, decisionmaking processes, and the projection of themselves into others' perspectives and situations. Pretests and posttests show positive changes in participants' thinking, and a followup of released participants for 19.7 months showed a 20 percent recidivism rate compared to a 30 percent rate for a comparison group.