NCJ Number
173544
Date Published
1995
Length
100 pages
Annotation
This report describes the results of a study of the effects of Cognitive Skills Training (CST) on post-release outcomes of offenders under Federal jurisdiction in Canada.
Abstract
The CST program is a 36-session program delivered by staff who have completed an intensive 2-week training program. The program focuses on faulty thinking patterns that typify the haphazard strategies offenders use to make life decisions, solve minor problems, and react to immediate situations in their environments. Cognitive-behavioral in style, the program combines didactic methods of teaching cognitive skills by the coaches, with carefully guided group and individual exercises that provide opportunities to practice the skills. The current research was based on a sample of 4,072 offenders who completed CST or were referred and considered eligible for the program between 1990 and 1994. Readmission and reconviction rates for the CST sample were compared with the rates of released offenders who were randomly assigned to a waiting list but never received the program. The report provides details on the differential impact of the program on offenders with varying characteristics, including different release types, risk levels, offense types, and demographic variables. The results provide grounds for optimism regarding the effectiveness of CST as a method of reducing recidivism in this group of generally high-risk offenders. 14 tables and 44 references