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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:43 am
Time: 11:43 am
Results for cognitive skills
6 results foundAuthor: Briggs, Sarah Title: Offender Literacy and Attrition from the Enhanced Thinking Skills Programme Summary: A sample of 39 offenders identified as having literacy problems was compared with a sample of 50 offenders for whom no literacy problems were identified. · The samples were broadly similar with respect to gender, ethnicity, history of breach, broad categories of index offence, and OGRS risk of reconviction scores. · Offenders with identified literacy problems were more likely to drop out at every stage between sentence and final completion of post programme psychometric tests · We can be at least 90% confident that there is a significant difference in programme retention between the literacy problems group and the control group. Confidence in the finding is enhanced by repeated observation of an apparent literacy problem effect at each of the stages observed. · There was also an effect of age on attrition, with younger offenders more likely to be retained. This enhances confidence in the finding of an effect of literacy problems, since the literacy problems group tended to be younger on average. · Psychometric test papers examined in the course of this research showed a consistent low level of literacy. This raises the question of whether systematic identification of literacy problems takes place, and whether the number of offenders with these problems is higher than we are currently aware. Details: West Yorkshire, UK: West Yorkshire Probation, 2003. 10p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2003 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 126243 Keywords: Cognitive SkillsEducationJuvenile Offenders (U.K.)LiteracyProbationersRehabilitationYoung Adult Offenders |
Author: Robinson, Emma Title: Piloting an all-female ETS group in Bradford. Evaluation Report Summary: The initial part of the research was concerned with outcomes from males and females across all accredited programmes in West Yorkshire. Logistic regression techniques were applied in much of the analysis to try and pick out the key predictive factors for completion of any accredited programme then more specifically, ETS. Initial analysis of the data-set revealed that overall, in the 15-month period under review, females were just as likely to start an accredited programme as males. Completion figures were also very similar for males and females. Logistic regression analysis on this data showed that predictive factors for completion of an accredited programme were: Tier, Age and OGRS2 score. Offenders in the ‘too high’ OGRS band were less likely to complete an accredited programme as were Tier 3 and 4 cases. The likelihood of completion also appears to increase with age. The data revealed that a proportion of offenders had been inappropriately allocated to ETS on the basis of their OGRS2 score. However, whereas those in the ‘too high’ category were less likely to complete an accredited programme overall, this did not hold true for the ETS sub-sample as 72% of those in this category who started, then went on to complete the programme. This suggests that other factors may influence programme completion. A total of 12 females completed ETS in a fifteen month period in West Yorkshire. Four of these completers (33%) were singleton females. The all-female ETS pilot achieved two completions from 6 starts (33%), with a further individual attending catch-up sessions at the time of writing. Logistic regression analysis showed that when all other variables were controlled for, Gender and Age were significant predictors of the completion of ETS. The throughput showed that males were twice as likely to complete ETS than females and that the likelihood of completing the programme increases with age. Although a full set of psychometric test scores was not available, some preliminary analysis has been undertaken on the pre and post scores for the mixed ETS attendees and those post scores for the two completers of the pilot group. Overall, the data revealed some differences in scores pre to post programme for the mixed group, and on two of these measures, the post scores mean for the ETS female pilot were lower still. This may indicate some positive results for the female pilot, but without the pre-scores (which were not administered at the start of the course) it is not possible to confirm this. If further groups are to be run, it will be useful to ensure that these tests are administered in order to compare these groups against the mixed ETS programmes. The completers of the pilot group spoke positively about their experience of the programme and their engagement with the other group members. One of the completers indicated that she had no preference towards being in an all-female group or a mixed ETS group. Indeed, this was a common feeling among the respondents in this research as offenders in mixed groups did not necessarily feel that they would have been more comfortable in an all-female group. The pilot group achieved two completions, with a further female having dropped off the group at the very end. This was comparable to the number of ETS completion for females in the previous 15 months across West Yorkshire. Perhaps the group dynamics in the ETS pilot, for instance the supportive atmosphere and the use of real-life examples linked to the material does have an impact on engagement with the programme, but this did not in this instance impact on completion. The group dynamics may not be picked up on by the participants themselves having not been on a mixed group previously, and for those in mixed groups not having experience an all-female group. Both groups of respondents talked positively about the programme itself, and this did not appear to be affected by the composition of the group they were on, perhaps suggesting that females might engage with the programme more than males, and therefore there are other factors preventing females from completing ETS. It was thought that issues such as childcare might be one of these barriers, which was addressed by providing the creche service at the TWP. However, only one of the females used the creche service, so it is difficult to assess the impact of this link-in at this stage. If a further group is run, this may provide more data by which to assess the ‘added value’ of running the programme from TWP premises. The two programme tutors felt that although the creche facility was a useful resource for those attending the programme, it was issues linked to confidence that had made the group responsive to the needs of the women who took part. Confidence was picked up as a major factor for three of the women who were attending due to various issues around alcohol use and domestic violence relationships. As the women had an opportunity to use these real life examples and link them to the material covered in ETS, it was felt that the course had helped to boost their confidence This appeared to tie in with feedback from females on the group who suggested that it was not necessarily the absence of males on the group that was important, rather it was the opportunity to share experiences and talk with other females in a supportive environment. However, given this perceived better engagement of the women tutors had some unanswered questions about the low number of completions from the programme. The reasons for this are difficult to pinpoint and it was felt that organisational issues and an inadequate setting of programme boundaries might have played a part in this. This appears to have been a well-received pilot programme, as both offenders, tutors and staff at TWP spoke very positively about the experience and where hopeful about running further groups in the future. However it did not create significantly higher levels of completion, nor objective data to support the effectiveness of the programme. Details: Wakefield, UK: West Yorkshire Probation Service, 2008. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 5, 2013 at: http://www.westyorksprobation.org.uk/documentlist.php?type=1&year=2008 Year: 2008 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.westyorksprobation.org.uk/documentlist.php?type=1&year=2008 Shelf Number: 128274 Keywords: Cognitive SkillsEducational ProgramsEnhanced Thinking Skills ProgramsFemale Offenders (U.K.)Rehabilitation Programs |
Author: Brooks, Andrew Title: An Investigation into the Effectiveness of the Focus on Resettlement (FOR) Programme: A Reoffending Study Summary: The FOR programme is a short cognitive-behavioural intervention attended by offenders in prison just prior to release and which aims to increase their motivation to engage with services providing assistance with resettlement. Initial contact is made with these agencies before release with follow up post release thus providing a bridge from custody back into the community. This study used propensity score matching (PSM) to measure the effectiveness of the programme in reducing one-year proven reoffending for the participants from 2004 when it was first implemented to June 2009. Treated and control groups of equal size were used: a male sample of 473 and a female sample of 266. The study aims to assess whether the resettlement programme can contribute to reducing reoffending. This is a historic look at data that had accumulated before significant changes to the content of the FOR programme were made, including an independent quality assurance process replacing peer audit, further training in writing objectives and a more robust framework for continuity between custody and community. Key findings There was no significant change in reoffending rates for males who attended FOR (59.5%) compared to a matched control sample (56.5%). There was no significant change in reoffending rates for females who attended FOR (40.6%) compared to a matched control sample (44.0%). There was no significant difference in the time to first offence between the FOR group and the matched control sample for either the male or female analyses. Details: London: National Offender Management Service, 2015. 6p. Source: Internet Resource: Analytical Summary: Accessed July 30, 2015 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449631/investigation-into-the-FOR-programme.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449631/investigation-into-the-FOR-programme.pdf Shelf Number: 136264 Keywords: Cognitive SkillsPrisoner ReentryRecidivismRehabilitationReoffendingTreatment Programs |
Author: Duwe, Grant Title: Moving On: An Outcome Evaluation of a Gender-Responsive, Cognitive-Behavioral Program for Female Offenders Summary: We used a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of Moving On, a gender-responsive, cognitive-behavioral program designed for female offenders. Between 2001 and 2013, there were two distinct periods in which Moving On was administered with, and without, fidelity among female Minnesota prisoners. To determine whether program integrity matters, we examined the performance of Moving On across these two periods. Using multiple comparison groups, we found that Moving On significantly reduced two of the four measures of recidivism when it was implemented with fidelity. The program did not have a significant impact on any of the four recidivism measures, however, when it operated without fidelity. The growth of the "what works" literature and the emphasis on evidence-based practices have helped foster the notion that correctional systems can improve public safety by reducing recidivism. Given that Moving On's success hinged on whether it was delivered with integrity, our results show that correctional practitioners can take an effective intervention and make it ineffective. Providing offenders with evidence-based interventions that lack therapeutic integrity not only promotes a false sense of efficacy, but it also squanders the limited supply of programming resources available to correctional agencies. The findings suggest that ensuring program integrity is critical to the efficient use of successful interventions that deliver on the promise of reduced recidivism. Details: St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Department of Corrections, 2015. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 22, 2016 at: http://www.doc.state.mn.us/PAGES/files/2014/3751/2704/Moving_On_Evaluation_-_July_2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.doc.state.mn.us/PAGES/files/2014/3751/2704/Moving_On_Evaluation_-_July_2015.pdf Shelf Number: 138361 Keywords: Cognitive SkillsCorrectional ProgramsEvidence-Based ProgramsFemale InmatesFemale OffendersFemale PrisonersGender Specific ProgramsRehabilitation |
Author: Tarrant, Emily Title: An evaluation of the effectiveness of the JETS Programme in changing thoughts, feelings and behaviours Summary: The JETS programme is an accredited thinking skills programme that was developed for young people aged 15 to 18. The programme aims to reduce re-offending by helping young people to develop thinking skills to enable them to deal with people and problems more effectively. The JETS programme was originally developed at HMYOI Wetherby, in consultation with members of the Operational Services & Interventions Group at NOMS. The programme is now owned by the Operational Services & Interventions Group at NOMS who provide training for the programme and oversee the delivery and development of the programme. The programme addresses six aspects of thinking, shown to be linked to offending behaviour. The six aspects of thinking addressed include: - Problem solving: Using a logical approach to solve problems - Self control: Skills to help us to slow down, stop and think, and manage emotions - Cognitive style: Developing flexible thinking to allow greater creativity in solving problems and achieving goals - Social perspective taking: Skills to understand other people's points of view - Moral reasoning: Looking at what is important to us and exploring why we hold certain values - Critical reasoning: Understanding what affects our thinking and how to challenge irrational thoughts The programme is delivered at HMYOI Wetherby to groups of eight young people and consists of 25 sessions. The programme is an integral part of the regime at HMYOI Wetherby and contributes significantly to the work of the prison in reducing re-offending. Currently there are resources for 64 young people to complete the programme each year at HMYOI Wetherby. An initial evaluation was carried out (see below) at HMYOI Wetherby. A much larger scale evaluation is currently underway which will include data from other juvenile establishments also delivering the programme. Details: York, UK: University of York, 2012. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed April 5, 2016 at: https://www.justice.gov.uk/youth-justice/effective-practice-library/the-jets-programme Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.justice.gov.uk/youth-justice/effective-practice-library/the-jets-programme Shelf Number: 138565 Keywords: Cognitive SkillsJuvenile OffendersProblem SolvingTreatment Programs |
Author: Chowdry, Haroon Title: Disadvantage, Behaviour and Cognitive Outcomes: Longitudinal Analysis from Age 5 to 16 Summary: The importance of children's social and emotional skills for life outcomes is well established, as is the link between these skills and family income. The combination of both of these can serve to entrench the cycle of inter-generational disadvantage. Previous work has shown that poorer children exhibit more behavioural and emotional problems on average than their wealthier peers, and that this gap appears early in childhood; less is known about the reasons why this might be and how long it persists for. There is also limited evidence on what might drive the interplay between early behaviour and later cognitive skills such as literacy and numeracy. In this report we present findings from new research on the following questions: (1) What is the relationship between economic disadvantage and child behavioural and emotional problems? Our analysis shows that there is a higher prevalence of behavioural and emotional problems among disadvantaged children. We also find that this discrepancy can be fully accounted for by differences in maternal psychological well-being and parental education. This does not mean that economic disadvantage does not matter. However, it does suggest that it is factors associated with disadvantage, rather than economic disadvantage itself, that lead to the social gradient in child behavioural and emotional problems. Poor maternal psychological well-being explains around half of the socioeconomic disparity in behavioural and emotional problems. However, its association with these problems is only present in low- medium-income families, and the effect is strongest for children in poverty. This suggests that higher family income (or factors associated with it) may act as a protective factor against the risks from poor maternal psychological well-being, or that factors associated with poverty may amplify those risks. There is a lower incidence of behavioural and emotional problems in children with highly educated parents. It is likely that parental education is capturing a range of influences, such as the quality of parenting, of the home learning environment and of parent-child interactions. All of these factors may contribute to children's socio‐ emotional development and behaviour throughout childhood. (2) How do child behavioural and emotional problems influence later cognitive skills and attainment? Children with higher levels of behavioural and emotional problems at age 5 do less well, on average, in cognitive assessments - specifically, literacy and numeracy scores - at age 10 and age 16. This correlation remains, but to a lesser extent, after taking into account other individual and family factors that may contribute to this relationship. For example, parental education and maternal psychological well-being together explain half of the correlation between age 5 behavioural and emotional problems and age 10 cognitive skills. There is a statistically significant link between behavioural and emotional problems at age 5 and cognitive scores at age 16. However, this is fully explained when we control for cognitive scores and behavioural and emotional problems at age 10. In other words, after this is taken into account, there is no independent link between behavioural and emotional problems at age 5 and cognitive skills at age 16. One potential way to interpret this is that early childhood behavioural and emotional problems need not present a risk for future educational attainment if they can be turned around by age 10. Higher parental education is associated with higher cognitive scores, even after taking into account earlier cognitive scores and behaviours. This may reflect ongoing features of the home environment or parenting style that continue to influence children's learning and ability even into adolescence. Our findings highlight the interplay between cognitive and non‐cognitive outcomes, and the family-level factors that may contribute to these outcomes. Parental education and poor maternal well-being contribute to higher behavioural and emotional problems and lower cognitive scores, especially in early childhood. Behavioural and emotional problems at age 5 then contribute to behavioural and emotional problems and lower cognitive scores at age 10, which in turn contribute to lower cognitive scores at 16. As a result these factors can cast 'long shadows' into adolescence and early adulthood, if unaddressed through interventions or additional support. Details: London: Early Prevention Foundation, 2017. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 29, 2017 at: http://www.eif.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/disadvantage-behaviour-cognitive_Mar2017.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.eif.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/disadvantage-behaviour-cognitive_Mar2017.pdf Shelf Number: 145200 Keywords: Anti-Social BehaviorAt-Risk YouthCognitive SkillsDelinquency PreventionDisadvantaged YouthEmotional DevelopmentSocioeconomic Conditions |