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FORUM on Corrections Research
Changing Criminal Thinking Patterns: Some Preliminary Findings from the Cognitive Skills Training Pilot
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One of the most recent innovations in correctional treatment is the "cognitive" model of rehabilitation.
The cognitive approach concentrates on the faulty thinking patterns that seem to propel offenders toward
reinvolvement in criminal activities. According to the model, offenders lack a variety of cognitive
skills - the capacity to appreciate the perspectives of others, the skills required to approach
interpersonal difficulties in a constructive, problem-solving fashion, and the ability to think before
acting. Cognitive treatment approaches attempt to equip offenders with the thinking skills that are
necessary to avoid making criminal choices. Because the cognitive model directly targets thinking styles
that appear to be responsible for sustaining criminal behaviour, it is a very promising development in
corrections. Research on the effectiveness of the cognitive model has also been encouraging. The Cognitive Skills Training Program, based on cognitive principles elaborated by Robert Ross and Elizabeth Fabiano in their book Time to Think, was piloted by the Correctional Service of Canada in the Atlantic and Pacific Regions during the first six months of 1989. Initiated by the Education and Personal Development Branch at National Headquarters, the program was introduced in four sites, including both community (Carleton Centre, Atlantic Region; Hobden House, Pacific Region) and institutional (Mission Institution, Pacific Region; Westmorland Institution, Atlantic Region) settings. Staff who ran the pilot programs completed an extensive ten-day training period delivered by Elizabeth Fabiano, from the Educational and Personal Development Branch. Each program operated daily for approximately twelve weeks and involved six to eight offenders. Three of the four sites offered the program on two occasions, once in the winter and once in the spring of 1989. Fifty offenders were granted admission to the programs in the four sites. One indicator of the success of the Cognitive Skills Training Program was that only three offenders discontinued their participation before the program was completed. The program is based on a group-interactive format in which staff lead the offenders through a series of structured training sessions. The sessions allow time for the offenders to evaluate their behavioural patterns and examine what they have learned with other participants. A number of skill-building exercises are utilized in which the offenders learn to analyse a variety of situations and practise new problem-solving skills. The pilot project included a study of the effectiveness of Cognitive Skills Training, which was conducted by the Research Branch. Prior to the beginning of the training sessions, all program participants underwent a battery of measures designed to assess their levels of cognitive skills and attitudes toward criminal activity. Following completion of the program, the offenders were reassessed so that changes in their levels of cognitive skills could be measured. In addition, the program participants completed an evaluation questionnaire designed to determine how valuable they considered their Cognitive Skills Training experience. The preliminary findings of the study were very promising. Results indicated statistically significant increases in skill levels on a number of important cognitive dimensions that were targeted by the program. The test scores suggested that, following completion of Cognitive Skills Training, the participants were better able to appreciate the perspectives of others when they were faced with the task of interpreting social situations. Scores on a conceptual-level test indicated that the offenders demonstrated more complexity in their views about such concepts as authority, rule structures, and critical feedback. In addition, they were able to generate a greater number of behavioural options on tasks that required the resolution of interpersonal conflicts. The results from an analysis of attitudinal measures also showed that the offenders made positive changes in the direction of more pro-social thinking. It was found that the participants became less negative toward the law, courts and police after completing the program. In a number of previous studies, positive changes on these attitudinal measures have been linked to reduced chances of future recidivism. The program participants expressed a high degree of satisfaction with Cognitive Skills Training. Seventy-two percent of the program participants who completed the evaluation questionnaire felt that the program "was much better than any other program" to which they had been exposed. An additional 24% perceived the program to be "as good as any other program Approximately three weeks after completing the program, 97% of the participants admitted that they found themselves using the skills that they had learned. Responses to open-ended questions also revealed that the offenders regarded the content of the program as highly relevant to their lives. Their comments indicated that they had retained many of the concepts that developed in the program, and they identified a number of concrete areas in which they had made improvements as a result of their training. The figure shows the high proportion of offenders who perceived positive change in each of the major areas the program addressed. Figure 1  The research component of the project was also designed to provide an evaluation of whether or not offenders who were selected for Cognitive Skills Training were appropriate candidates. Many programs are criticized because they are offered to offenders who are highly motivated, easy to work with, and not likely to recidivate regardless of their participation in programs. One of the objectives of the Cognitive Skills Training Program was to ensure that the training would be extended to offenders who were most in need of correctional programming. Selection procedures were developed for case management staff so that offenders with high cognitive skill deficits would be referred to the program. Results from several analyses suggested that offenders who participated in the program were those who were most in need of programming. Case Management Strategies (CMS) data and scores on the Statistical Information about Recidivism Scale (SIR) indicated that Cognitive Skills Training was being offered to offenders who were at high risk of failing upon release. For example, only S .6% of the participants were classified as "very good" risks on the SIR. In fact, 61% of the participants were classified in the "fair to poor" or "poor" risk categories on the SIR. The results of the research have been very encouraging. It appears that the Cognitive Skills Training Program was being extended to appropriate candidates, and that those who participated made significant positive gains on the various cognitive and attitudinal measures. However, one question remains: Is Cognitive Skills Training effective in reducing recidivism? The answer to this question must await a post-release community follow-up study of those offenders who completed the programs. The Research Branch is pursuing this question by monitoring the success rates of participants who are now on parole or mandatory supervision. It is predicted that the Cognitive Skills Training participants will return to our institutions at lower rates than non-participants who were at similar levels of risk for recidivism at the time of their release. If the Cognitive Skills Training Program does contain effective treatment ingredients, it is also expected that offenders who made the greatest cognitive and attitudinal changes during their training will be more successful in the community than participants who gained less from the program. |
