Using CBT

• DEFINITION AS A TREATMENT FOR OFFENDERS

  Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help offenders manage their antisocial behaviour by changing the way they think and behave (1).
• A01

  • Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps the offender to reevaluate the thoughts that has led to their undesirable actions. 
  • CBT has weekly sessions with a trained therapist and the offenders keep a reflective diary of their thoughts between sessions. 
  • CBT programmes that are delivered in prison settings can have a positive effect on recidivism rates. 
  • Offenders can take part in role plays to learn alternative ways to deal with their anger.
• WEAKNESS

  • Cognitive behavioural therapy does not look at the wider issues affecting, if this issue is not addressed then the therapy may not be effective as that issue still exists and can occur again.
  • If the criminal thinks their behaviour is not wrong then they will not be active in their therapy therefore they may not be willing to change his behaviour which reduces the effectiveness.
• How a Therapist would help:

  therapist will help the offender to understand how their faulty and negative thought processes may have led them to think that criminal behaviour is acceptable (1). The therapist can then help identify the maladaptive thoughts they may have and then enable them to develop alternative behaviour responses to their thoughts to reduce re-offending.
• WEAKNESS

  CBT requires offenders to change their thought processes so it may not be effective for all types of offending for example offenders with anti-social personality disorder as Howells et al. (2005) found that CBT did not reduce the levels of aggression significantly in offenders convicted of violent offences .
• STRENGTH


  CBT teaches offenders self-help strategies which can be used once the therapy sessions are complete, so may be successful in the long-term as Lipsey (2009) found in the analysis of 548 studies that it was more effective than other interventions in reducing further criminal behaviour.