(a)
Outline how cognitive skills programmes can be
used as a treatment for offenders
Cognitive skills programmes refer to the cognitive approach’s
explanation of turning to crime that criminals have distorted cognitions that
cause their offending, such as denial of responsibility, optimistic fantasies
of anti-social behaviour, poor moral development, and having tendencies to
incorrectly attribute actions to hostile intent (Yochelson and Samenow, Palmer
and Hollin).
Two examples of cognitive skills programmes offered to
offenders are reasoning and rehabilitation therapy, and enhanced thinking
skills. Reasoning and rehabilitation therapy targets moral development, and
attempts to encourage the offender to take a social perspective on their
behaviour, in the hope that this will discourage them to offend if they
understand the effects their actions have on others and how to think more
morally. Enhanced thinking skills programmes target aspects of cognition such
as self-control, and aim to boost pro-social behaviour by teaching
interpersonal communication skills.
One study which looked at how cognitive skills programmes
can be used as a treatment for offenders is through Friendship et al, which
compared the recidivism rates of those on cognitive skills programmes such as
ETS, to those who had not been part of such programme. 670 male offenders who
had taken ETS or reasoning and rehabilitation therapy were thus compared to
1801 offenders who hadn’t, and the results showed that reconviction rates were
14% lower in the therapy group. This equated to 21000 crimes prevented, based
on the researchers’ estimates.
Thus, cognitive skills programmes can be used to treat
offenders by improving the different aspects of cognition thought to be
responsible for offending, such as interpersonal skills, moral development and
self-control.
