NCJ Number
150246
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 56 Issue: 5 Dated: (August 1994) Pages: 112,114- 116
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Correctional personnel at the Michigan Reformatory in Ionia have developed a program called Strategies for Thinking Productively (STP) that focuses on cognitive restructuring to prevent recidivism among violent inmates.
Abstract
STP is a three-part program. Phase I is a 16-session introduction to the terms and tools that will be used throughout the program. Groups of 10 inmates meet twice a week for scripted lessons delivered by two staff facilitators, usually a corrections officer and a case manager or counselor. During Phase I, offenders are introduced to the concept of criminal thinking errors and the inappropriate behavior that stems from these errors. Phase II is a residential program with staff trained in cognitive restructuring. This phase lasts 6 to 24 months and involves three 8-person group meetings per week with two staff facilitators, as well as weekly meetings with a journal partner. In addition, inmates keep journals recording how they think during specific events. When the staff and inmate believe that the inmate fully understands the attitudes, beliefs, and thinking patterns responsible for past criminal conduct, the inmate develops a relapse prevention plan. In Phase III, the offender has a chance to practice the thinking in the community, either inside or outside the prison. Phase II participants have asked for weekly group meetings during parole. 1 reference