Describe anger management as a modifying technique (10)

• Para 1: anger management + hostile attribution bias

  Anger management is a cognitive-behavioural technique used to help offenders control aggressive impulses, particularly those linked to violent crimes. The short-term goal is to reduce anger and aggression in prisons, while the long-term aim is rehabilitation and reducing recidivism. Many offenders show hostile attribution bias - a cognitive distortion where they interpret ambiguous situations as threatening, leading to aggressive reactions. Anger management targets these distorted thinking patterns to help offenders respond more rationally.
• Para 2: components of programmes

  Raymond Novaco (2011) outlined three core components of anger management programmes:

  1. cognitive restructuring - increasing self-awareness and control over anger-inducing thoughts.
  2. regulation of arousal - learning relaxation and physiological control techniques.
  3. behavioural strategies - such as assertive communication and problem-solving to reduce aggressive responses
• Para 3: stress inoculation training

  Most programmes use stress inoculation training (Novaco, 1975), a CBT-based method delivered in three phases:

  • conceptualisation: offenders learn to recognise their anger triggers and understand anger as both functional and dysfunctional
  • skill acquisition: they learn cognitive and behavioural techniques like self-talk, relaxation, and assertiveness
  • application: through role-play and real-world practice, offenders apply these skills to situations that previously provoked anger, receiving feedback to improve.

  overall, anger management helps offenders gain control over their emotions, reducing aggression and making future offending less likely