Effectiveness of Choice Theory Connections: A Cross-Sectional and Comparative Analysis of California Female Inmates

In the past 30 years, the rates of incarceration and recidivism for women in the United States have increased dramatically. Choice Theory® Connections (CTC) is a gender-tailored pre-release intervention program based on Choice Theory® (Glasser, 1999), and designed to achieve meaningful and sustainab...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology 2015-06, Vol.59 (7), p.757-771
Main Authors: Grills, Cheryl, Villanueva, Sandra, Anderson, Michelle, Corsbie-Massay, Charisse L., Smith, Bradley, Johnson, Lester, Owens, Kyri
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Behavior Therapy - methods
California
Choice Behavior
Cognitive Therapy - methods
Cohort Studies
Comparative analysis
Correctional treatment programs
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emotional Intelligence
Female
Humans
Imprisonment
Internal-External Control
Middle Aged
Mindfulness
Patient Discharge
Prisoners
Prisoners - psychology
Psychological Theory
Quality of Life - psychology
Recidivism
Recurrence
Womens health
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In the past 30 years, the rates of incarceration and recidivism for women in the United States have increased dramatically. Choice Theory® Connections (CTC) is a gender-tailored pre-release intervention program based on Choice Theory® (Glasser, 1999), and designed to achieve meaningful and sustainable cognitive and behavioral change. This evaluation examines CTC among 96 female participants in a California state prison enrolled in an introductory (n = 58) or advanced (n = 38) course. CTC significantly improved perceived stress, mindfulness, emotion regulation, impulsivity, and well-being on completion; effects were stronger for the introductory cohort, but significant effects also emerged for the advanced cohort. In addition, participants in the advanced cohort reported better scores at baseline, demonstrating the effects of prolonged engagement with the intervention. Results suggest that CTC can improve incarcerated women’s well-being pre-release, a strong predictor of recidivism post-release. Further study and wider use of CTC are encouraged.
ISSN:0306-624X
1552-6933
DOI:10.1177/0306624X13520129