An Evaluation of CHANGE, a Pilot Prison Cognitive Treatment Program

Prison violence is a concern in many correctional institutions. The systems management approach (i.e., assigning an inmate to a higher security level) is costly. While there are many different interventions available, cognitive therapies are frequently used to reduce prison violence. A non-voluntary pilot cognitive program (i.e., CHANGE) at a Midwestern prison was evaluated for its impact on official misconduct. One hundred and thirty-six inmates participated in the study. Half were assigned to the group which participated in Phase I of the pilot program, and the other half were assigned to the group which did not receive the intervention. Overall, Phase I of the CHANGE program did not lead to a statistically significant decrease in official inmate misconduct.