NCJ Number
172145
Journal
American Jails Volume: 11 Issue: 3 Dated: (July-August 1997) Pages: 76-79
Date Published
1997
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the author's experiences in teaching impulse control and appropriate reactions to cue words to almost 1,000 student correctional officers at the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois since 1985.
Abstract
The 40 hours of instruction include 2 hours on impulse control. The training is designed to equip the correctional officer to cope with verbal and physical abuse in an appropriate and professional manner. The instruction begins with Jackson's 1984 Personality Research Form, which includes 20 items that teach people where they score on impulsivity. The training continues with 1 or more 3-minute videos that demonstrate acted-out impulse control and impulsivity and a discussion of data from current research. The final 15 minutes of the session focuses on cue words, based on the concept that persons who score high on impulsivity will react to cue words and jump to conclusions by acting on inferences as if they were facts. Students learn not to react to cue words of a sexual, racial, or other provocative nature. This training differs from the concept of verbal judo in that it aims to stop any reaction to cue words in the first place due to the significant danger of acting on impulse without thinking. It teaches those who score high on impulsivity to avoid signal reactions and take a little more time in their deliberations before reacting. The training also emphasizes that correctional officers have to stay at the scene of their mistakes and that the life they save may be their own. 15 references