NCJ Number
174781
Date Published
1997
Length
75 pages
Annotation
This monograph reviews a 5-year evaluative study of a particular form of probation order designed to affect the thinking and behavior of men who persistently offend.
Abstract
In 1991 the Mid Glamorgan Probation Service introduced the Straight Thinking On Probation (STOP) program both as a rehabilitative form of probation for persistent offenders and as a vehicle to reinforce a focus on effectiveness in the local practice culture. This report covers local and national background of the project; origins and rationale of cognitive/behavioral programs in probation practice; planning, implementation and evaluation; impact of the program on probationers, including effects on reconviction, attitudes and beliefs, and self-reported problems; impact of the initiative on probation staff and their organization; and implications for the future of this kind of work. Probation can contribute to reducing crime and reducing the crime-related problems faced by those who commit offenses and the society in which they live. The STOP experience and similar studies show that research can contribute to changing the practice culture in the direction of more curiosity about effectiveness and more evidence-based practice. Tables, appendix, references