Preventing Future Crime With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by Patrick Clark
One form of psychotherapy stands out in the criminal justice system.
ognitive behavioral therapy justice settings, both in institutions reduces recidivism in both and in the community, and addresses Cjuveniles and adults. a host of problems associated with criminal behavior. For instance, in The therapy assumes that most most cognitive behavioral therapy people can become conscious of programs, offenders improve their their own thoughts and behaviors social skills, means-ends problem and then make positive changes to solving, critical reasoning, moral them. A person’s thoughts are often reasoning, cognitive style, self- the result of experience, and behavior control, impulse management is often influenced and prompted by and self-efficacy. these thoughts. In addition, thoughts may sometimes become distorted Recently, Mark Lipsey of Vanderbilt and fail to reflect reality accurately. University examined the effec tiveness of various approaches to Cognitive behavioral therapy has intervention with young offenders.1 been found to be effective with His review analyzed the results of juvenile and adult offenders; sub 548 studies from 1958 to 2002 stance abusing and violent offenders; that assessed intervention policies, and probationers, prisoners and parol practices and programs. ees. It is effective in various criminal
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Lipsey grouped evaluations into Perceptions Affect Behavior Cognitive Behavioral Therapy seven categories: Beliefs, attitudes and values affect and Criminal Offenders the way people think and how they n Counseling Landenberger and Lipsey found view problems. These beliefs can that even high-risk behavior did not n Deterrence distort the way a person views real reduce the therapy’s effectiveness. ity, interacts with other people and n Discipline For example, some of the greatest experiences everyday life. effects were among more serious n Multiple coordinated services offenders. It may be that the thera Cognitive behavioral therapy can help n Restorative programs py’s enabling, self-help approach is restructure distorted thinking and more effective in engaging typically n Skill building perception, which in turn changes resistant clients, that it increases their a person’s behavior for the better. n Surveillance participation and therefore the ben Characteristics of distorted thinking efits of participation. The therapy is When he combined and compared may include: more effective in reducing further the effects of these interventions, criminal behavior when clients simul n he found that those based on pun Immature or developmentally taneously receive other support, such ishment and deterrence appeared to arrested thoughts. as supervision, employment, educa increase criminal recidivism. On the n Poor problem solving and decision tion and training, and other mental other hand, therapeutic approaches making. health counseling. based on counseling, skill build n ing and multiple services had the An inability to consider the effects The cognitive behavioral therapy greatest impact in reducing further of one’s behavior. approach has recently been used criminal behavior. n An egocentric viewpoint with a in many prepackaged, brand name negative view or lack of trust in programs, such as “Reasoning Lipsey also examined the effec other people. and Rehabilitation,” “Aggression tiveness of various therapeutic Replacement Therapy,” “Thinking n interventions. In particular, he A hampered ability to reason and for Change” and others. The National compared different counseling accept blame for wrongdoing. Institute of Corrections recently and skill-building approaches. He n A mistaken belief of entitlement, found that cognitive behavioral skill- including an inability to delay building approaches were more gratification, confusing wants and effective in reducing further criminal needs, and ignoring the rights of Therapeutic approaches behavior than any other intervention. other people. based on counseling, n In a different research review, A tendency to act on impulse, Nana Landenberger and Lipsey including a lack of self-control skill building and multiple showed that programs based on and empathy. cognitive behavioral therapy are n An inability to manage feelings services had the greatest effective with juvenile and adult of anger. criminal offenders in various crimi impact in reducing n nal justice settings, including prison, The use of force and violence as residential, community probation a means to achieve goals. further criminal and parole.2 They examined research studies published from 1965 through Therapy can help a person address behavior. 2005 and found 58 that could be and change these unproductive and detrimental beliefs, views and included in their review and analysis. 3 The researchers found that cogni thoughts. tive behavioral therapy significantly reduced recidivism even among high-risk offenders.
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published a thorough and comprehen notes sive review of cognitive behavioral 1. Lipsey, M.W., “The Primary Factors That therapy, which provides detailed Characterize Effective Interventions With descriptions of these and other pro Juvenile Offenders: A meta-analytic over 4 view,” Victims and Offenders 4 (2009): grams. Interestingly, although the 124-147. Landenberger and Lipsey review 2. Landenberger, N.A., and M. Lipsey, “The showed these programs were effec Positive Effects of Cognitive-behavioral tive, no single program was superior Programs for Offenders: A Meta-analysis of Factors Associated With Effective in reducing recidivism. Treatment,” Journal of Experimental Criminology, 1 (2005): 451-476. More research is needed to deter 3. Yochelson, S., and S.E. Samenow, The mine if it would be effective for Criminal Personality, Volume I: A Profile for Change, New York: Jason Aronson, offenders to receive cognitive behav 1976; and Walters, G., The Criminal ioral therapy earlier in their criminal Lifestyle: Patterns of Serious Criminal careers or as part of early interven Conduct, Newbury Park, Calif.: Sage tion or parenting training programs. Publications, 1990. 4. Milkman, H., and K. Wanberg, Cognitive- Behavioral Treatment: A Review and Discussion for Correction Professionals, Patrick Clark is a Social Science Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, Analyst with NIJ's Crime Control and 2007, http://nicic.gov/Library/021657. Prevention Division. NCJ 229888
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What is CBT?
ognitive behavioral therapy Cis a treatment that focuses on patterns of thinking and the beliefs, attitudes and values that underlie thinking. CBT has only recently come into prominence as one of the few approaches to psychotherapy that has been broadly validated with research, although it has been used in psy chological therapy for more than 40 years. It is reliably effective with a wide variety of personal readiness for change and foster consistent in modeling and problems and behaviors, includ engagement in that change. A will expressing the pro-social ing those important to criminal ingness to change is necessary for attitudes and behaviors, moral justice, such as substance abuse CBT or any other treatment to be values and reasoning that are and anti-social, aggressive, delin effective in reducing further criminal often part of CBT with criminal quent and criminal behavior. behavior. offenders.
Unlike other approaches to psy Brand name programs often limit Positive findings from research chotherapy, CBT places responsi clients to 20-30 sessions, lasting on CBT are common. Over the bility in the hands of clients while over a period of up to 20 weeks. The years, studies have shown the supplying them with the tools to more treatment provided or the more therapy is effective with various solve their problems, focusing on sessions participants attend over problems, including mood dis the present rather than the past. time, the greater the impact on and orders, anxiety and personality People taking part in CBT learn decrease in recidivism. and behavioral disorders. Unlike specific skills that can be used to other traditional and popular solve the problems they confront The typical CBT program is provided therapies, CBT has been the all the time as well as skills they by trained professionals or parapro subject of more than 400 clini can use to achieve legitimate fessionals. Training for non-therapist cal trials involving a broad range goals and objectives. CBT first group facilitators often involves 40 of conditions and populations. It concentrates on developing skills hours or more of specialized les has successfully addressed many to recognize distorted or unrealis sons and skill building. Licensed and issues experienced by children, tic thinking when it happens, and certified therapists are often part of including disruptive or noncom then to changing that thinking or cognitive programs, especially those pliant behavior, aggressiveness, belief to mollify or eliminate prob involving individual counseling. oppositional defiant disorder lematic behavior. and attention deficit hyperactiv Characteristics of the counselor ity disorder. For adults, CBT has The programs, often offered in are important to a program’s been shown to help with marital small group settings, incorporate effectiveness. Counselor honesty, problems, sexual dysfunction, lessons and exercises involving empathy and sensitivity are helpful depression, mood disorders and role play, modeling or demon traits. Support and encouragement, substance abuse. It has also strations. Individual counseling partnership or alliance, and accep been shown to be as useful as sessions are often part of CBT. tance are necessary in establishing antidepressant medication for Clients are given homework and effective rapport, which is especially individuals with depression and conduct experiments between important in CBT because counsel appears to be superior to medica sessions. These components are ors often take on the role of coach. tion in preventing relapses. used to gauge the individual’s It is important that counselors be
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