Treatments For Offenders: Cognitive-behavioural
Treatment
CBT: Cognitive Preparation:
Anger management assumes that the 3 phases involved in anger management.
offender’s inability to control their anger is Working with a trained therapist, the
the root cause of offending. offender reflects on situations that have
Raymond Novaco 1975 suggests that some triggered their anger in the past and
offenders are more likely to see certain consider if they could have reacted
situations as threatening and stressful and differently.
this leads to them acting aggressively. Events may have been flashpoints in the past
Trigger for anger and so is cognitive in are gradually perceived more rationally.
nature.
Anger is reinforced by the offender’s feelings
of control that anger gives them in that Skill Acquisition:
situation. Offenders are taught a range of behavioural
Anger results from cognitive and behavioural techniques to help them cope more
problems, so treatment needs to tackle both. effectively with anger-provoking situations.
Self-talk promotes calmness rather than
aggression, and is likely to become an
Application and Practice: automatic response if practiced regularly.
Therapist devises situations in which the
The aim is to control one’s emotions rather
offender is able to demonstrate the skills
than being controlled by them.
they have been taught.
Reconstructing events when the offender lost
control in the past. Research Study:
Jane Ireland 2004 investigated anger
Evaluation management within an institutional setting.
Procedure:
Weakness: Offenders were randomly allocated to
Anger management may actually have one of 2 conditions.
undesirable effects with particular types of 1 group received cognitive-behavioural
violent offender. anger management and the 2nd group
Home Secretary Charles Clarke recommended received no treatment.
anger management programmes in UK prisons 12 sessions of anger management.
be scaled back on the basis that they are Findings:
counter-productive for some offenders, 92% improvement in those who had
Damien Hanson murdered a man but after 24 treatment.
sessions he convinced the parole board to Control group failed to show
release him from prison. improvement.
Assist some prisoners to become more
manipulative.
Treatment
CBT: Cognitive Preparation:
Anger management assumes that the 3 phases involved in anger management.
offender’s inability to control their anger is Working with a trained therapist, the
the root cause of offending. offender reflects on situations that have
Raymond Novaco 1975 suggests that some triggered their anger in the past and
offenders are more likely to see certain consider if they could have reacted
situations as threatening and stressful and differently.
this leads to them acting aggressively. Events may have been flashpoints in the past
Trigger for anger and so is cognitive in are gradually perceived more rationally.
nature.
Anger is reinforced by the offender’s feelings
of control that anger gives them in that Skill Acquisition:
situation. Offenders are taught a range of behavioural
Anger results from cognitive and behavioural techniques to help them cope more
problems, so treatment needs to tackle both. effectively with anger-provoking situations.
Self-talk promotes calmness rather than
aggression, and is likely to become an
Application and Practice: automatic response if practiced regularly.
Therapist devises situations in which the
The aim is to control one’s emotions rather
offender is able to demonstrate the skills
than being controlled by them.
they have been taught.
Reconstructing events when the offender lost
control in the past. Research Study:
Jane Ireland 2004 investigated anger
Evaluation management within an institutional setting.
Procedure:
Weakness: Offenders were randomly allocated to
Anger management may actually have one of 2 conditions.
undesirable effects with particular types of 1 group received cognitive-behavioural
violent offender. anger management and the 2nd group
Home Secretary Charles Clarke recommended received no treatment.
anger management programmes in UK prisons 12 sessions of anger management.
be scaled back on the basis that they are Findings:
counter-productive for some offenders, 92% improvement in those who had
Damien Hanson murdered a man but after 24 treatment.
sessions he convinced the parole board to Control group failed to show
release him from prison. improvement.
Assist some prisoners to become more
manipulative.
