DOI: 10.3886/icpsr02028.v1
title: Evaluation of the Reasoning and Rehabilitation Cognitive Skills Development Program Implemented in Juvenile Intensive Supervision Probation in Colorado, 1994-1995
title: Version 1

description: This study was a program evaluation of the Reasoning and
 Rehabilitation Cognitive Skills Development Program, an educational
 program that taught cognitive skills to offenders, as implemented in
 juvenile intensive supervision probation in Colorado. Using an
 experimental design, researchers sought to measure the extent of
 change in attitudes and behaviors due to the cognitive skills program
 by administering pre- and post-test interviews. Researchers also
 measured recidivism by conducting interviews with probation officers
 who supervised the offenders in the sample six months after
 termination from intensive supervision. These interviews were
 supplemented with administrative records data that provided background
 information about the sample. In addition, administrative data were
 collected on all juveniles sentenced to intensive supervision during
 fiscal years 1994 and 1995 to compare juveniles in the sample with all
 juveniles in the intensive program. Variables in this collection
 include cognitive measures, such as impulsivity, problem-solving
 ability, egocentricity, and cognitive style. Other variables measure
 emotional responses to various situations, attitudes toward the law,
 values, drug abuse, program participation, and
 recidivism. Administrative data include age, gender, ethnicity,
offense of conviction, and basic assessment data.
description: The Reasoning and Rehabilitation Cognitive Skills
 Development Program was developed by Ross and Fabiano in 1985 as an
 educational program that focused on teaching the following cognitive
 skills to offenders: problem-solving, consequential thinking,
 means-end reasoning, social perspective-taking, critical reasoning,
 abstract reasoning, creative thinking, and values. In 1992 the
 Colorado Office of Probation Services incorporated the Reasoning and
 Rehabilitation Program as a requirement for young offenders placed in
 juvenile intensive supervision probation. While previous research had
 evaluated this cognitive skills program for adults, this project was
 designed to evaluate the outcomes of this program as implemented in a
 juvenile setting. In particular, it sought to answer the following
 questions: (1) Did the program work to change attitudes, thinking
 patterns, and behaviors? (2) Did the program have an impact on
 post-termination rates of recidivism? and (3) For which types of
offenders did the program work best?
description: To evaluate how well the Reasoning and
 Rehabilitation program worked in juvenile intensive supervision
 probation in Colorado, the researchers developed an experimental
 design whereby clients were randomly assigned to participate or not
 participate in the cognitive program. To measure the extent of change
 in attitudes and behaviors due to the program, clients in both the
 treatment and control groups were administered pre- and post-test
 interviews based on two instruments. The first was a slightly modified
 version of a semi-structured interview developed by the authors of the
 program as part of a larger cognitive skills assessment battery. The
 second instrument was a self-administered 70-item battery of
 statements measuring concepts related to crime and criminal attitudes
 that respondents were asked to rank on a Likert-scale format. These
 measures were designed to assess the extent of change in cognitive
 skills and functioning among the sample in nine areas: (1) ability to
 recognize that problems exist, (2) ability to solve interpersonal
 problems, (3) ability to think of and develop alternatives, (4)
 awareness of consequences, (5) ability to set and achieve goals, (6)
 level of egocentricity, (7) social perspective-taking, (8) level of
 impulsivity, and (9) cognitive style. To measure recidivism rates of
 juveniles in the sample, researchers conducted interviews with
 probation officers who supervised the offenders in the sample six
 months after termination from intensive probation. Recidivism was
 measured by rearrest for a new crime. These interviews were
 supplemented with administrative records data that provided background
 information about the sample. In addition, administrative data were
 collected on all juveniles sentenced to intensive supervision during
 fiscal years 1994 and 1995 to compare juveniles in the sample with all
juveniles on probation.
description: In Part 1, Pre- and Post-Test Data, variables
 include cognitive measures such as impulsivity, problem-solving
 ability, egocentricity, and cognitive style. Other variables measure
 emotional responses to various situations, attitudes toward the law,
 values, drug abuse, program participation, and recidivism. Part 2,
 Background Data, contains variables on age, ethnicity, index crime,
 risk score, and need score. Part 3, Juvenile Intensive Supervision
 Probation Data, contains information on all intensive supervision
 participants at the time of the study, including gender, age, and
offense.
description: Response Rates: Not applicable.
description: Presence of Common Scales: Several Likert-type scales were used.
description: Random sampling.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Pre- and Post-Test Data
DS2: Background Data
DS3: Juvenile Intensive Supervision Probation Data
description: Juveniles sentenced to juvenile intensive supervision
probation in Colorado between 1994 and 1995.
description: The codebook and data collection instruments are provided as 
 a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. The PDF file format was developed by 
 Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using PDF reader software, such 
 as the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on how to obtain a copy of the Acrobat
Reader is provided through the ICPSR Website on the Internet.