Crime, Delinquency, and Forensic Behavior Analysis

By Timothy J. Templin

The mission of the Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI; www.abainternational.org/aba.asp) is to ensure that those in the criminal justice fields have access to appropriate, evidence-based behavior analytic therapy to reduce crime and delinquency.

Behavioral interventions can reduce prison misconduct (French & Gendreau, 2006). SIG members have testified on behavioral intervention to reduce crime. Behavioral interventions can reduce crime by approximately 13-20% (Redondo-Illescas, Sánchez-Meca,&Garrido-Genovés, 2001) and prison misconduct (French & Gendreau, 2006).

The SIG plans to remain active in this area over the coming year. Behavioral parent training is a well-established treatment for oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder, which are often forerunners to adolescent delinquency (see O’Donohue &Ferguson, 2006).

Finally, behaviorally-oriented residential treatment programs are listed by the Surgeon General as promising for children and adolescents with conduct disorders. Recent evaluations of the literature suggest that the program is even more effective on post-release recidivism than first thought (Kingsley, 2006) so the results are promising.

References

Fixsen, D. L, Blasé , K. A., Timbers, G.D. & Wolf, M. M. (2007). In search of program implementation: Replications of the teaching-family model. The Behavior Analyst Today, 8(1), 96-105. www.baojournal.com

French, S. A., & Gendreau, P. (2006). Reducing prison misconducts: What works! Criminal Justice and Behavior, 33, 185-218.

Kingsley, D. E. (2006). The teaching-family model and post- treatment recidivism: A critical review of the conventional wisdom. IJBCT,(4), 481-487. www.baojournal.com.

Kingsley, D., Ringle, J. L., Thompson, R. W., Chmelka, B., Ingram, S.(2008). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis as a modeling technique for informing program improvement: Predicting recidivism in a boys town five-year follow-up study. The Journal of Behavior Analysis of Offender and Victim Treatment and Prevention, 1(1), 82-97. www.baojournal.com

O’Donohue, W. & Ferguson, K. E. (2006): Evidence-based practice in psychology and behavior analysis. The Behavior Analyst Today, 7(3), 335–35. www.baojournal.com

Redondo-Illescas, S., Sanchez-Meca, J., & Garrido-Genovaes, V. (2001). Treatment of offenders and recidivism: Assessment of the effectiveness of programs applied in Europe. Psychology in Spain, 5, 47-62.