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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 10:40 pm
Time: 10:40 pm
Results for cognitive skills training
2 results foundAuthor: Bickle, Gayle Title: An Intermediate Outcome Evaluation of the Thinking for a Change Program Summary: The research literature on effective offender programming shows that cognitive behavioral programming creates larger reductions in recidivism than other types of offender programming. In light of this evidence, the ODRC adopted the Thinking for a Change (TFAC) program. In 2009, the department encouraged every prison to implement the TFAC program. The program teaches problem-solving skills, particularly when interacting with others, in order to increase rational thinking and lead to pro-social interactions and behaviors. In addition, through cognitive restructuring (aka, cognitive self-change), thought processes are modified to reduce thinking patterns that are conducive to criminal behavior, i.e., antisocial attitudes. This evaluation uses a quasi-experimental, non-random, two group pre-test post-test design, and it explores intermediate outcomes that examine whether the program has influenced participant's self-assessment of their social problem-solving skills and approaches and their acceptance of criminal attitudes. The Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R) and the Texas Christian University Criminal Thinking Scales (CTS) were used to measure these components of the program. The findings are as follows: -Analyzing the SPSI-R data using GLMM (Generalized Linear Mixed Modeling), we find that, compared to a waiting list comparison group, TFAC group completers do significantly better than their comparison group counterparts on every measure, including positive problem orientation, negative problem orientation, rational problem solving and associated subscales (problem definition and formulation, generation of alternative solutions, decision making, solution implementation and verification), impulsivity/carelessness style, and avoidance style. Moreover, the level of significance of these findings indicates that TFAC does impact participants- understanding of social problem solving skills and approaches. Analyzing the TCU-CTS data using GLMM, we find that TFAC group completers do significantly better (p<.001) than their comparison group counterparts on all but one criminal thinking scale (measuring coldheartedness). The scales where TFAC completers do significantly better include entitlement, justification, power orientation, criminal rationality, personal irresponsibility, and the total criminal thinking score. The findings indicate that TFAC participants appear to reduce (or at least not increase) their acceptance of criminal attitudes when compared to non-participants. -Interaction effects were found between risk level and TFAC group participants on the SPSI-R survey, indicating the following: -Higher risk treatment group members showed significantly more improvement than those in the lower risk comparison group on all but one scale (avoidance style), including positive problem orientation, negative problem orientation, rational problem solving and associated subscales (problem definition and formulation, generation of alternative solutions, decision making, solution implementation and verification), and impulsivity/carelessness style. Lower risk treatment group members showed significantly more improvement on all of the scales than their lower risk comparison counterparts. Details: Columbus, OH: Ohio Dept. of Rehabilitation and Correction. Bureau of Research and Evaluation, 2014. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 21, 2015 at: http://www.drc.ohio.gov/web/Reports/Eval_ThinkingforaChange.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.drc.ohio.gov/web/Reports/Eval_ThinkingforaChange.pdf Shelf Number: 135331 Keywords: Behavior ModificationCognitive Skills TrainingCorrectional ProgramsOffender Rehabilitation (Ohio)Problem-Solving SkillsTreatment Programs |
Author: Travers, Rosie Title: Who benefits from cognitive skills training? Summary: The Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS) programme was a cognitive skills training programme commissioned by NOMS for both prison and community settings with the aim of reducing reoffending. Cognitive skills training programmes teach offenders skills such as problem solving, consequential thinking, decision making, moral reasoning, perspective taking and emotional control. They have been extensively evaluated in the UK and elsewhere and have repeatedly been found to have a positive impact on reconviction rates (e.g. Sadlier, 2010; Travers et al., 2013). One previous study in Canada suggested that cognitive skills programmes may have more impact with some offenders than others. The aim of this research was to explore whether more nuanced targeting of cognitive skills programmes could improve their overall impact and thus make better use of resources. Key findings - Examining recidivism rates for around 21,000 men released from custody between 1997 and 2005 who had attended cognitive skills training while in prison showed that overall the programme was associated with significantly less reconviction than was predicted. The reconviction rate for the whole sample was 47.2%, which was 8.4 percentage points lower than predicted. - Some types of offender seem to benefit more than others, in terms of reduced recidivism rates, from cognitive skills training. The people who appeared to benefit most were violent offenders (reconviction rate 17 percentage points lower than predicted) and sexual offenders (reconviction rate 13 percentage points lower than predicted). - Prisoners with index convictions for robbery and burglary who attended cognitive skills training did not have lower reconviction rates than predicted. - Recidivism rates were lower than predicted for prisoners in all risk bands except the very lowest (where only 10% were predicted to reoffend) and the highest (where over 80% were predicted to reoffend). - These findings are consistent with a previous study of a different cognitive skills programme in Canada and therefore point to the conclusion that offence type appears to have an important influence on programme impact. It seems likely that for offenders convicted of burglary and robbery, other factors are more important to address than thinking skills. More relevant factors might be, for example, financial motivation, substance misuse, or pro-criminal attitudes. - To be sure that this is the right conclusion, further work is needed to check whether the risk predictor OGRS works equally well for different types of offenders. A control group design would also be a better way to test for any differential impact of cognitive skills training. Details: London: National Offender Management Service, 2015. 4p. Source: Internet Resource: Analytical Summary: Accessed July 30, 2015 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/448751/who-benefits-from-cognitive-skills.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/448751/who-benefits-from-cognitive-skills.pdf Shelf Number: 136271 Keywords: Cognitive Skills TrainingRecidivismRehabilitationTreatment Programs |