Crime, Delinquency, and Forensic Behavior Analysis

By Timothy J. Templin

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been useful in addressing societal problems related to the criminal justice field. For example, the role of teaching family homes in reducing recidivism and prison drug programs. An important impact has been on the treatment of adolescents and children to improve parenting for conduct disorder and reduce aggressive behavior and assaults in school. In addition, assistance in guiding the court system in identifying effective sanctions, called graduated sanctions, understanding the effects of behavioral/cognitive-behavioral programs on recidivism, parent training, functional behavioral assessment, and team problem solving in schools for emotionally and behaviorally disordered students. It has also impacted the assessment of child sexual abuse.

To ensure that those in the criminal justice fields have access to appropriate, evidence-based, behavior analytic, therapeutic resources to reduce crime and delinquency. SIG members have testified on behavioral intervention to reduce crime. Continued advocacy and research are needed to make behavior analytic services available to criminal justice, mental health, military and veterans’ fields and to document the efficacy of behavior analysis in these applications.

One of our SIG members was interviewed by a Bay Path University Student on January 25, 2022, Timothy was interviewed by a Bay Path University student on our SIG, and crime and behavior analysis in general. If you have not seen it, take a look at the link below or on our Facebook Group: https://youtu.be/gdzhMM79sY0On