Research suggests that programs that include a cognitive-behavioral component provide the greatest public safety benefits in terms of long-term outcomes. ^[1]   Cognitive-behavioral treatment seeks to help individuals understand that they can control their behavior - and their lives - by learning more effective, less antisocial ways of thinking in a process often known as "cognitive restructuring." Instruction in social skills, problem-solving, and other behavioral controls may teach individuals to control their anger, adjust their habitual negative responses to difficult situations, and understand how some of their thinking patterns may be distorted. Ultimately, cognitive restructuring is designed to change the thoughts, values, and attitudes that have been demonstrated to foster the person's criminal behavior or otherwise put him or her at risk of engaging in harmful activity.

A number of cognitive skills-based programs are now delivered in corrections settings, but some are more grounded in the recidivism-reduction principles than others. When choosing a cognitive-behavioral program, policymakers should select from among the several programs that are research-based when it comes to producing the desired result: minimizing future criminal activity. One study has suggested that the more effective programs address the development of thinking and reasoning skills in people who are incarcerated, as well as their social comprehension, and their problem-solving skills. The study further noted that the better programs have taught individuals to assess their own thinking; to stop, think and analyze consequences before acting; to reason in a means-end fashion; to understand other people's values; to recognize how their behavior will affect others; and to develop alternative pro-social ways of reacting to interpersonal conflicts. ^[2]  

Example: Better People (OR)

The Better People program is designed to reduce recidivism in part through the use of a therapeutic approach called Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT). Working primarily with individuals convicted of drug offenses, the Better People program offers a cognitive-behavioral approach designed to change its participants' decision-making processes. The 12-step program meets twice a week for six months and places individuals in living-wage jobs with follow-up for one year. Those who sought and received MRT«Ÿû had significantly fewer new arrests in the six months following their last contact with the program than did other releasees who had not received such treatment.