There are many different names given to the cognitive restructuring and life-skills programs that are presently being adopted by the correctional educational world. Most, however, come from the same philosophical approach. They are typically based on the belief that criminal offenders have not learned to understand the consequences of their behaviors or how to make proper decisions, and/or how to take their place as a productive member of society. The hope for the success of this approach is genuine, but we must be careful that we do not jump after this approach without healthy skepticism and an analytical eye.
Those adopting these programs should be aware of several factors as they work to create a systematic program to educate offenders.
Factor 1: No program will reach every person.
Anytime someone claims to have a program that will reach everyone a red flag should immediately appear. People are not like machines to be fixed by using the proper tools and carefully following the instruction manual. Each individual has the will to choose what he or she will do in any given circumstance.
Educators are truly involved in the only profession where we cannot touch the thing we want to change or fix. Imagine the frustration of an auto mechanic if all he or she could use to tune up an engine were words. Their recidivism rates would be even higher than those we are criticized of having, if they had to depend on their ability to convince a car to want to change before their efforts were considered successful.
A program should be designed to motivate people to want to participate. To increase the likelihood of success, it must be based on educational principles that have proven to be most effective in meeting the learning style (personality) needs of offenders.
Factor 2: People who have never been involved in criminal behavior have a hard time understanding why an individual would commit a serious crime.
How can someone choose to hurt, maim, rob, rape, or kill another person? It seems unimaginable. Many in our field are constantly looking for an explanation for why a person would perpetrate these kinds of acts. "Surely it's because they are mentally ill or they were sexually or physically abused." There has to be some easy explanation. In the book Inside the Criminal Mind, Stanton Samenow shows that some people just choose to do these things because they like it.
These premeditated acts are based on values. Except for those that are mentally impaired, a values-based educational program will help separate those whose values are negative from those who have simply not learned the skills and the peace that comes from lining by their values.
A life-skills program must be heavily values-based in order to have the impact necessary to force people to face the truth about themselves. It cannot, however, exist to merely dictate values. It must create an atmosphere for individuals to own and examine their own values to determine how well they serve each individual.
Factor 3: Some people commit crimes because they like it.
This is an ugly piece of truth about human behavior. Offenders who have negative values will not get much from a life-skills program. Some have identified these individuals as being amoral or psychopathic. We spend too much time trying to work with these individuals when it would be in their and the public's best interest if they were just kept out of circulation.
Factor 4: No program, no matter how well designed, will help a person who is not sincerely committed to changing their life.
There's an old joke that goes something like this: "How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?" The answer is: "One, but the light bulb has to want to change." It is true here. As mentioned before, a successful program must have the ability to draw people in and create in them a desire to change. For the vast majority of offenders that means the use of a nontraditional educational approach. If an offender can see that a program will help them attain what he or she has determined to be most important, they become personally committed to the process. Then, and only then, does a program have the power to affect lasting change.
Factor 5: Most criminal offenders are nontraditional learners.
We know most offenders have failed in traditional educational settings. Many have never finished high school and have limited reading, writing, and math skills. They failed once when standard educational practices were used. Why do we think that using the same failed approach again will produce a different outcome?
Drastic times require drastic measures. The latest research is showing that nontraditional learners (Oranges and Greens) need to have information and new skills presented to them in ways that are consistent with the way they learn. The opposite is true of more traditional learners (Golds and Blues). They typically have better skills at translating and adapting facts and information to meet the needs of their learning style. Therefore, if we are committed to creating the highest possibility for their future success, it is essential that we mold our approached to meet the learning needs for the nontraditional learners who make up the majority of our populations.
If you're not exactly sure if you are primarily a Blue, Gold, Green, or Orange personality type, then check out the free test at http://gaininginsight.com where you can learn more about human temperament. When you subscribe to the free blog, you'll also receive a number of tips and strategies for finding more success with the people in your life, both at home and in the workplace.
About the Author: Nathan Bryce is the inventor of the world's first patented personality system, the Insight Temperament System, which applies the research of Carl Jung, David Keirsey, Isabel Myers (and many others) into real-life settings. His educational company, the non-profit Insight Learning Foundation, teaches hundreds of thousands of people all around the world how to understand people better. Please visit http://www.insightlearning.com for more information.
By Nathan Bryce
Those adopting these programs should be aware of several factors as they work to create a systematic program to educate offenders.
Factor 1: No program will reach every person.
Anytime someone claims to have a program that will reach everyone a red flag should immediately appear. People are not like machines to be fixed by using the proper tools and carefully following the instruction manual. Each individual has the will to choose what he or she will do in any given circumstance.
Educators are truly involved in the only profession where we cannot touch the thing we want to change or fix. Imagine the frustration of an auto mechanic if all he or she could use to tune up an engine were words. Their recidivism rates would be even higher than those we are criticized of having, if they had to depend on their ability to convince a car to want to change before their efforts were considered successful.
A program should be designed to motivate people to want to participate. To increase the likelihood of success, it must be based on educational principles that have proven to be most effective in meeting the learning style (personality) needs of offenders.
Factor 2: People who have never been involved in criminal behavior have a hard time understanding why an individual would commit a serious crime.
How can someone choose to hurt, maim, rob, rape, or kill another person? It seems unimaginable. Many in our field are constantly looking for an explanation for why a person would perpetrate these kinds of acts. "Surely it's because they are mentally ill or they were sexually or physically abused." There has to be some easy explanation. In the book Inside the Criminal Mind, Stanton Samenow shows that some people just choose to do these things because they like it.
These premeditated acts are based on values. Except for those that are mentally impaired, a values-based educational program will help separate those whose values are negative from those who have simply not learned the skills and the peace that comes from lining by their values.
A life-skills program must be heavily values-based in order to have the impact necessary to force people to face the truth about themselves. It cannot, however, exist to merely dictate values. It must create an atmosphere for individuals to own and examine their own values to determine how well they serve each individual.
Factor 3: Some people commit crimes because they like it.
This is an ugly piece of truth about human behavior. Offenders who have negative values will not get much from a life-skills program. Some have identified these individuals as being amoral or psychopathic. We spend too much time trying to work with these individuals when it would be in their and the public's best interest if they were just kept out of circulation.
Factor 4: No program, no matter how well designed, will help a person who is not sincerely committed to changing their life.
There's an old joke that goes something like this: "How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?" The answer is: "One, but the light bulb has to want to change." It is true here. As mentioned before, a successful program must have the ability to draw people in and create in them a desire to change. For the vast majority of offenders that means the use of a nontraditional educational approach. If an offender can see that a program will help them attain what he or she has determined to be most important, they become personally committed to the process. Then, and only then, does a program have the power to affect lasting change.
Factor 5: Most criminal offenders are nontraditional learners.
We know most offenders have failed in traditional educational settings. Many have never finished high school and have limited reading, writing, and math skills. They failed once when standard educational practices were used. Why do we think that using the same failed approach again will produce a different outcome?
Drastic times require drastic measures. The latest research is showing that nontraditional learners (Oranges and Greens) need to have information and new skills presented to them in ways that are consistent with the way they learn. The opposite is true of more traditional learners (Golds and Blues). They typically have better skills at translating and adapting facts and information to meet the needs of their learning style. Therefore, if we are committed to creating the highest possibility for their future success, it is essential that we mold our approached to meet the learning needs for the nontraditional learners who make up the majority of our populations.
If you're not exactly sure if you are primarily a Blue, Gold, Green, or Orange personality type, then check out the free test at http://gaininginsight.com where you can learn more about human temperament. When you subscribe to the free blog, you'll also receive a number of tips and strategies for finding more success with the people in your life, both at home and in the workplace.
About the Author: Nathan Bryce is the inventor of the world's first patented personality system, the Insight Temperament System, which applies the research of Carl Jung, David Keirsey, Isabel Myers (and many others) into real-life settings. His educational company, the non-profit Insight Learning Foundation, teaches hundreds of thousands of people all around the world how to understand people better. Please visit http://www.insightlearning.com for more information.
By Nathan Bryce
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