Lifestyle Change Program
Problems addressed
Recidivism
Crime and delinquency (multiple types)
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Adults (18 to 59 years)
Where the program was applied
Courts of justice
Prisons or socio-educational residential centers
Country of application
United States
Description

This is a psychological intervention for incarcerated men. The objective is to reduce recidivism through behavioral and cognitive changes associated with criminal and offending attitudes.
The program seeks to address issues such as crime, gambling and drug abuse in three phases:
1) Psychoeducation group on criminal lifestyle and risk factors associated with it;
2) Advanced discussion groups on crime, gambling and drug abuse, and the consequences on the participants’ own lives; and
3) Group sessions focused on relapse prevention, with developmental stimulation of three components: conditioning, choice, and cognition.

Impact evaluations

An impact assessment showed that 39.5% of program participants were arrested compared to 55.1% of the control group. There was also a reduction in recidivism for a new crime and an increase in the time at liberty [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Walters, G. D. (2005). Recidivism in Released Lifestyle Change Program Participants. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 32(1), 50–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854804270628

Information source