Changing Course
Problems addressed
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Where the program was applied
Country of application
Description

This is a therapy program for incarcerated men. The intervention proposes the creation of a 24-page interactive journal, which includes visually appealing images, factual information, and individual writing exercises to engage the inmates.
Participants must summarize, in their own words, the specific details of their imprisonment and their motivation for committing the crime for which they are currently incarcerated. Next, inmates are given an inventory of the consequences associated with substance use that cover a wide range of areas, such as relationships, school/work, and finances.
The journal provides a framework for assessing the rewards and costs of up to three specific behavioral changes, followed by strategies for implementing the selected changes. To move forward with the individualized plan for change, the team refers inmates to professional help and/or support groups.

Impact evaluations

An impact assessment showed that the program contributed to a reduction in criminal recidivism compared to the control group. The study had an experimental design with a sample of 185 prisoners, 100 of whom were randomly assigned to the intervention and 85 to the control group [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Proctor, S. L., Hoffmann, N. G. & Allison, S. (2012). The effectiveness of interactive journaling in reducing recidivism among substance-dependent jail inmates. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 56(2), 317–332. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X11399274

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