NCJ Number
196487
Journal
Criminal Behavior and Mental Health Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: 2001 Pages: 251-261
Date Published
2001
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article compares two United Kingdom cognitive skills programs that have been effective in reducing offending behaviors in prison populations.
Abstract
Focusing on the Reasoning and Rehabilitation (R&R) and Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS) programs in the United Kingdom’s prison service, this article provides a comparison of these cognitive skills programs that have been effective in reducing re-offending. Beginning in 1996, Her Majesty’s prison service began accrediting offending behavior programs in order to ensure that programs for offenders would reduce re-offending. The R&R and ETS programs are the most widely run accredited programs in England and Wales, and exist at over 100 sites. Both programs are based on a model of change that contends that sociocognitive deficits impair how individuals may reason, and both programs target key sociocognitive deficits by teaching offenders new sets of skills. Furthermore, both R&R and ETS focus their early instruction session on problem-solving, and both programs draw on techniques and methods used in various other programs. The R&R program is twice as long as ETS allowing for more repetition, over-learning, and additional emphasis on social skills. A series of graphs indicates how R&R and ETS participants engage in various problem-solving behaviors. The authors conclude that both cognitive skills programs improve social problem-solving skills, reduce re-offending, and improve the generation of solutions to problem situations, particularly in female offenders. Figures, references