anger management programmes

• psychologists believe that anger primary cause for many crimes
• anger management programs created to help reduce recidivism
• how anger management programs work - using cognitive behavour therapy to change thought process that triggers offenders aggressive behaviour. run as group or one to one
• anger management programs aims:

  • recognise what makes them angry - trigger
  • teach how to respond to trigger
  • lean skills and techniques to manage triggers
  • identify when thoughts leading to irrational conclusions
  • problem solving skills, reduce frustration and anger
• Aisnwoth (200) identified that Anger Managment Programs have three stages
• stage one: cognitive preperation - offender analyses anger to identify situation makes them angry and recognise why behavour may be regarded as irrational
• stage two: skills acquisition - offender gain skills to help deal with or avoid situations that trigger anger through relaxation techniques, assertiveness training or conflict resolution
• stage three: application practice - offender applies skills learned to role lay scenario and receive feedback from therapist and other group members
• There are three types of anger management programmes:

  1. CALM
  2. ART
  3. TSP
• CALM - controlling Anger and Leading to Manage it
• ART - Agressive replacement training
• TSP - Thinking Skills Programme
• CALM - designed for adolescent or adult males who's aggressive behaviour is triggered by intense emotion

  24 2 hour sessions

  so offender understand the factors that trigger anger and aggression and learn skills to manage and reduce frequency and intensity of emotions

  based on CBT
• ART - challenges offender to accept responsibility for behaviour with aim reducing violent behaviour, public order offences and criminal damage and increasing public protection by challenging offenders to accept responsibility for crime and consequences
• TSP - adresses the way the offender thinks and challenges their offending behavour. It supports the offenders developing new skills by setting goals and making plans.
• Ireland (200): aims - compare 50 prisoners taking part in CALM with 37 prisoners who received no anger management training
• Ireland: procedure - used interviews and questionnaires with prisoners and staff
• Ireland: findings - prisoners on anger management programs rated themselves as being less angry as did the staff

  There were improvements in 92% of participants

  but 8% were worse after the treatment
• Ireland: conclusion - Useful at treating aggressive behaviour in the short term
• Feindler et al (1984) - studied a group of young male offenders

  found that anger management programmes were effective in improving self-control, problem solving and reducing levels of re-offending
• Watt et al (1999) - compared group of violent male offenders on an anger management programme to those on no programme

  Looked at both groups anger Knowledge, anger expression, observed aggression and misconduct in prison.

  found no real difference between the two groups
• strengths -

  • CALM is fully scripted so can be delivered in many situations by non-trained staff as only need short training programme
  • participants workbook easy to follow as written in simple English so suitable with everyone even with poor literacy skill
  • research studies show anger management programmes are effective in controlling anger
• weaknesses -

  • findings come from self-reports, data may not be valid or reliable
  • not all crimes result of anger or aggression so has limited effectiveness when dealing with recidivism
  • Rice found raising self-esteem and self-control counter-productive for psychopaths as allowed them to manipulate others, made more likely to reoffend.