NCJ Number
225192
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 72 Issue: 2 Dated: September 2008 Pages: 50-53
Date Published
September 2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the implementation and evaluation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in Federal probation case management conducted in the predominantly rural Federal District of North Dakota under a grant from the Federal Research to Results (R2R) program.
Abstract
In addressing the needs of its distinctive offender population (rural in general and Native-American in particular), the Federal District of North Dakota applied for and received funding to implement CBT. The district contracted with the American Community Corrections Institute (ACCI) to provide the Adult Cognitive Life Skills Home Study Course to Federal probationers. The workbook used in the program incorporates historical fiction in order to demonstrate and adjust problematic thinking errors that often result in criminal behavior. This workbook was used as an appropriate complement to the traditional story-telling methods important in Native-American culture. Narratives are accompanied by a lesson or exercise intended to restructure and/or replace problematic thinking patterns. The course is designed to be completed with a coach or mentor, which is also a traditional practice in Native-American healing. In order to measure the effectiveness of the workbook and its implementation, the Texas Christian University Criminal Thinking Scale (TCU CTS) was administered before and at completion of the ACCI home study course. The TCU CTS consists of 37 questions designed to measure criminal thinking patterns in areas that include entitlement, justification, power-orientation, cold-heartedness, rationalization, and personal irresponsibility. Preliminary results of the evaluation are promising, as reductions were achieved in each of the identified criminal thinking pattern categories of the scale. In the near future, the district plans to implement “motivational interviewing,” which has proven to enhance motivation to change, which may improve participation and completion rates for the CBT program. 20 references