NCJ Number
130788
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 42 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1991) Pages: 100-106
Date Published
1991
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The debate over the purpose of education is particularly relevant in the field of corrections education and how it applies to the remediation of criminal behavior. The cognitive social competence model of criminal behavior, now fully developed and implemented as a programming strategy in Canadian Federal corrections, holds that corrections education must affect the underlying thoughts and attitudes of offenders that motivate them to commit crimes.
Abstract
Beginning in the early 1980's, research in corrections education indicated that effective intervention programs targeted not only the offender's environment, feelings, behavior, and vocational skills, but also his cognitive abilities in terms of awareness and understanding of the world around him. The literature suggests that many offenders lack some of the cognitive skills essential to social adaptation: self-control, the ability to form acceptable relationships, and flexible and creative thinking. The research indicated that improving offenders' cognitive functioning could help in their rehabilitation. A conceptual model of intervention was developed and tested in the Pickering and Oshawa probation offices. The experiment showed that rehabilitation was possible through implementation of a program emphasizing social cognitive skills, attitudes, and values; social-interpersonal cognitive skills required for prosocial adaptation were be taught directly. In 1985, the Correctional Service of Canada began to include cognitive skills training as a core component of a broader life skills program for offenders. Initial evaluations and follow-up information indicate that the program has been effective in changing the thinking patterns of offenders. 1 figure and 20 references