R&R2 SHORT VERSION FOR ADULTS S R. R. ROSS, J. HILBORN & P. Liddle The Reasoning & Rehabilitation (R&R) program is a multi-facetted, cognitivebehavioural program for teaching cognitive skills, social skills and values that are required for prosocial competence and that are antagonistic to antisocial behaviour. R&R is a product of a forty year research project begun at the University of Waterloo in 1966 that involved a sequential series of empirical studies of the efficacy of programs designed to prevent delinquent, criminal, and other forms of antisocial behaviour. The R&R program was based on analysis of more than a hundred rigorously evaluated programs that had been found to be effective in preventing delinquency in "at risk" youth or in reducing re-offending among adjudicated juvenile delinquents and adult offenders in community and institutional settings1. R&R was also based on more than forty years of research studies that demonstrated that antisocial behaviour is associated with inadequacy in specific social cognitive skills and values and that teaching such skills is key to the success of programs designed to promote prosocial behaviour. Since its development in 19862, R&R has been delivered to more than seventy thousand offenders in seventeen countries. Its efficacy has been demonstrated in numerous independent, international controlled evaluations, in meta-analyses, and in cost-benefit analyses3. R&R was the first program to be accredited by the British Prison Service for implementation in prisons and probation in England and Wales. It has also been accredited by Accreditation s in Scotland and in Canada where it is a core curriculum in forty-seven penitentiaries and half-way houses across the country. R&R has been confirmed as a cost-effective method for the prevention of criminal behaviour by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy.4

1 2 3 4

Gendreau, & Ross (1979); Gendreau, & Ross (1987); Ross & Gendreau (1989). Ross, Fabiano & Ross, 1986; Ross & Ross, 1986 For recent reviews see Antonowicz, 2005; Tong & Farrington, 2005) Aos, Phipps, Barnoski & Lieb, 2001.

R&R2 PROGRA MS The R&R2 SHORT VERSION FOR ADULTS (2005) is one of a family of specialized new editions of the original (R&R) program. The new editions are based on twenty years of research that has been conducted since R&R was published: •

independent international research on the efficacy of R&R

•

research on the relationship between antisocial behaviour and cognition

•

research that indicates that antisocial behaviour is associated not only with inadequate development of cognitive and behavioural skills but also with shortcomings in emotional skills and emotional values

•

research on ‘best practice’ in teaching the cognitive, emotional, behavioural skills and values that are essential to prosocial competence

•

research on motivation, prosocial modelling, relapse prevention and desistance from an antisocial lifestyle5

•

twenty years of experience in the delivery of R&R by several hundred R&R Trainers.

R&R2 is designed to operationalize the Responsivity Principle of effective practice by providing different versions of the R&R2 program that enable the program to be delivered that are appropriate to the needs and circumstances of specific groups depending on their age, the number of hours they are available for program participation, their risk of continuing in antisocial behaviour, and their particular criminogenic needs: • • • • • • •

Youths (12-17)6 Adults (18 and older)7 Antisocial Girls and Young women Repeat Driving Violators Youths & Adults with Mental Health Problems Antisocial Youths & Adults with ADHD8 Families of Antisocial Youths and Adults9

Maruna (2001); Marlatt (1998); Prochaska, Norcross & Diclemente (1994). Ross & Hilborn (2003). 7 Ross & Hilborn (2005). 8 Young & Ross (2005,a). 9 Ross, Hilborn & Greene, 2004). 5 6

R&R2 SHORT VERSION FOR ADULTS The Short Version for Adults is a brief 15 session (24 to 30 hour) program for adults whose antisocial behaviour has led to their coming under the supervision of social service agencies or criminal justice agencies. R&R2 teaches prosocial skills and values including: • • • • • • • • •

emotional regulation; problem-solving; critical reasoning; alternative thinking; negotiation conflict management prosocial values social perspective-taking desistance

The R&R2 Short Version for Adults has four objectives: 1. Cost-effective intervention: Most participants will benefit from their involvement in the Short program and will not require the additional training that is provided in the more extended Reasoning & Rehabilitation Program that agencies may provide - a 35 session, 70 hour program requiring 12 weeks (3 sessions a week)10. The Short program can be taught in 5 weeks or less. 2. Assessment: The participant’s performance in the Short program provides the Trainer with an an in vivo assessment opportunity to assess whether the individual requires and would likely benefit from further training. Consistent with the Risk Principle, rather than providing all participants with extensive training, those who actually require further training can be identified by their performance in the Short version and an assessment can be made of the particular cognitive and behavioural problems that need to be considered in assessing each participant’s need for and probable response to other programs.

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Ross, Fabiano & Ross (1986).

3. Assessment of programs: The R&R2 SHORT program provides an 'appetizer' or 'taster' that enables participants to experience a short sample of cognitive-behavioural rehabilitation programs so that each may assess whether they might wish to pursue such training. The Short program is a multifaceted program that includes training based on such programs as cognitive therapy, anger management, relaxation training, narrative therapy, schema-based therapy, relapse prevention, social skills training, conflict management, empathy training, values enhancement, problem-solving. 3. Motivation: Their involvement in the short program can serve as a motivator for participants who require involvement in the more extensive R&R program but may previously have lacked the motivation to engage in a longer program, or any program! Detailed discussion of the improvements to the original R&R program that have been made in R&R2 is presented in the text, Rehabilitating Rehabilitation: Neurocriminology for Treatment of Antisocial Behaviour (Ross & Hilborn, 2008). This book is a revision of Dr. Ross’ 1985 book, Time To Think that presented the research basis and the conceptual model for R&R. The new edition presents the results of reviews of the research literature published since 1985, refines the conceptual model of the program in the light of such research, and provides general instructions for trainers for conducting the R&R2 program. It presents a "neurocriminology" model of offender rehabilitation based on recent research on neuroscience. Detailed instructions and teaching materials for conducting each version of R&R2 are presented in Handbooks designed for the particular version. Further information can be obtained through the Cognitive Centre of Canada: www.cognitivecentre.ca email: [email protected]; Antonowicz, D.H. (2005). The Reasoning and Rehabilitation Program: Outcome evaluations with offenders. In McGuire, J. & McMurran, M. Social ProblemSolving. London: Wiley. Aos, S., Phipps, P., Barnoski, R. & Lieb, R. (2001). The Comparative Costs And Benefits Of Programs To Reduce Crime. Washington State Institute for Public Policy. Gendreau, P., & Ross, R. R. (1979). Effective correctional treatment: Bibliotherapy for Cynics. Crime and Delinquency, 25, 463-489. Gendreau, P. & Ross, R.R. (1987). Revivification of rehabilitation: Evidence from the 1980s. Justice Quarterly, 4(3), 349-407. Marlatt, G.A. (1998). Harm Reduction: Pragmatic Strategies for Managing High Risk

Behaviors. New York: The Guilford Press. Maruna, S. (2001). Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their Lives. Washington,D.C.: American Psychological Association. Prochaska, J.O., Norcross, J.C. & Diclemente, C.C. (1994). Changing for Good. New York: Avon Books. Ross, R.R. & Gendreau, P. (1989) Effective Correctional Treatment. Toronto: Butterworths. Ross, R. R. & Fabiano, E. A. (1985). Time to think: A Cognitive Model of Delinquency Prevention and Offender Rehabilitation. Johnson City, TN: Institute of Social Sciences and Arts. Ross, R. R., Fabiano, E. A. & Ross, R. D. (1986). Reasoning and Rehabilitation: A handbook for teaching cognitive skills. Ottawa, Canada: Center for Cognitive Development. Ross, R.R. & Ross, R.D. (1988) Cognitive Skills: A Training Manual for Living Skills. Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada. Ross, R. R., Fabiano, E. A. & Ewles, C. D. (1988). Reasoning and rehabilitation. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 32, 29-35. Ross, R. R. & Ross, R. D. (1995). Thinking Straight: The Reasoning and Rehabilitation Program for Delinquency Prevention and Offender Rehabilitation. Ottawa: AIR publications. Ross, R. R. & Hilborn, J. (2003). R&R 2: SHORT Version for Youth. Ottawa: Cognitive Centre of Canada, [email protected]