Effective Responses to

Non-Compliance

Jason Stauffer

PA Board of Probation and Parole

Bureau of Offender Reentry Coordination

Today’s Objectives

• Review Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) and

Core Correctional Practices (CCP)

• Discuss CCPs that can be used to discourage

anti-social behavior/thinking

• Discuss brief cognitive-behavioral interventions

(CBI) that can be used to teach offenders how

thinking has contributed to violations AND skills to

engage in pro-social alternatives

• Discuss CCPs that can be used to encourage

offenders to continue pro-social alternatives

NIC/CJI Integrated Model

NIC/CJI Principles of Effective

Intervention (EBPs)

RISK-NEED-RESPONSIVITY:The Principles of Effective Interventions Simplified

• Risk Principle: Who to target.Higher risk Offenders (not low risk).

• Need Principle: What to target.Individual offenders’ assessed criminogenic needs.

• Responsivity Principle: How to target.Generally—use cognitive-behavioral methods.

Specifically—match interventions to relevant offender characteristics that impact ability/openness to participate in/benefit from delivered treatment.

Adherence to RNR by Effect on Recidivism(Andrews and Bonta, 2010)

Core Correctional Practices (Gendreau, 2003)

• Relationship

• Structuring

• Reinforcement

• Modeling

• Disapproval

• Structure Skills Learning

• Problem Solving

• Authority

Criminogenic Needs(Andrews & Bonta, 2010)

• Top Criminogenic Needs:Companions

Attitudes

Personality

• Lesser Criminogenic Needs:Family/Marital

Substance Abuse

Leisure/Recreation

Social Achievement (Employment/Education)

Primary Drivers of Anti-Social Responses

• Attitudes

I don’t see anything wrong with smoking a little

pot to take the edge off.

What I put in my body doesn’t hurt anyone.

• Personality

I know that I shouldn’t use, but I always feel so

stressed when I have to deal with my boss.

It is so tough to say “no” to my friends.

• What about Friends?

EBP Principle 5:

Increase Positive Reinforcements

• 4:1 Reward : Punishment

• More “Carrots” and Less “Sticks”

• Rewards vs. Punishment

• Many Options for Rewards

Why Four Rewards to Each Punishment?(Widahl, Garland, Culhane & McCarty, 2011)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

1:10 1:08 1:06 1:04 1:02 2:01 4:01 6:01 8:01 10:01

Pro

bab

ilit

y o

f IS

P S

uccess

Ratio of Rewards to Punishments

Rewards and Punishments

• Positive Reinforcement vs. Negative

Reinforcement

Tangible

Token

Activities

Praise

• Positive Punishment vs. Negative Punishment

Swift/Certain/Fair (HOPE Supervision)

Effective Disapproval/Use of Authority

Effective Reinforcement and Disapproval

Reinforcement

• Immediately say what

you liked

• Give specific reasons

why

• Explore short/long term

benefits of continuing

the behavior

• Issue reward

• Reduce as behavior

becomes consistent

Disapproval

• Immediately say what

you didn’t like

• Give specific reasons

why

• Explore short/long term

costs of continuing the

behavior

• ID prosocial alternative

• Issue sanction

• EVERY TIME

Programmatic Punishment

• Swift, Certain, and Fair

• HOPE: Random drug testing w/ immediate

sanctions (short jail stays) for failed drug

tests and missed appts.

• Consistently applied, mild sanctions

decreased unwanted behavior

14% points fewer missed appointments

33% points fewer positive drug tests

8% points fewer revocations

So Punishment Can Work, but…

• Extinguishing a behavior is only half the equation

• Acting/thinking pro-socially is the other half the equation

• It is unlikely that you can punish someone into a positive

action

Also…• What about things that you cannot observe/detect with a

high degree of reliability?

• Is it possible to deliver a sanction swiftly, certainly, and

fairly without consistent/reliable detection?

Enter Skill Development

RNR-Based Contacts Teach Skills

(STICS, EPICS, STARR)

• Multi-day initial training to teach staff how to:Focus on higher risk offenders (Risk)

Identify offenders’ specific criminogenic needs (Need)

Use concrete interventions that target the more important

criminogenic needs (Need)

Interventions are cognitive-behavioral in nature (Responsivity)

Use Core Correctional Practices (Responsivity)

• Accomplished in roughly the same amount of time as

contacts conducted by untrained staff!

• Initial training is only the beginning:Ongoing coaching, boosters, and quality assurance is essential

Frequent immediately following the training and reduced as

proficiency grows, but it NEVER ENDS!

RNR-Based Contacts (STICS)

Research Findings

• Can community supervision staff be trained to

employ RNR during offender contacts?

Yes, on nearly every measure of RNR, trained staff

outperformed untrained staff.

• Does adherence to RNR during offender contacts

reduce recidivism?

Yes, offenders supervised by trained staff recidivated

15% points less frequently than those supervised by

untrained staff.

“High participators” saw even greater reductions in

recidivism (19%).

After Using Effective Disapproval/Sanctions

for Anti-Social Attitudes…

• Use Interventions to demonstrate how the

attitude impacts behavior:

Behavior Chain

Cognitive Restructuring

• Works best on things that have already happened

• Determining how the thoughts and feelings of a

situation impacted the action chosen, and then

determining the weight of costs/benefits sets up

the offender change problematic thinking.

Behavior Chain

Behavior Chain

Friend

stopped

by and

had

marijuana

What

negative

thoughts

might a tx

court

participant

have?

What

feelings?

Smoked marijuana with

the friend.

-Relaxed

-Forgot about

problems

-Hung out

with friend

-Lost

sobriety

-Judge

sanction

-Let down

self/others

Cognitive Restructuring

Anti-Social Thoughts

• MJ would really help

me relax.

• I just got tested, so I

probably won’t get

tested again soon.

• What I put in my own

body doesn’t hurt

anyone.

• It’s legal in Colorado.

Counter Thoughts

• There are other things

that I can do to relax.

Fill in the blanks for

the others.

Behavior Chain w/ Cognitive Restructuring

Friend

stopped

by and

had

marijuana

Told friend that sobriety was

too important and refused.

Insert new,

pro-social

thoughts.

ID feelings.

Some may

stay the same.-Maintained

sobriety

-Maintained

trust

-Avoided

trouble

-Friend

didn’t stick

around too

long.

After Using Effective Disapproval/Sanction for

Behavior (product of personality)…

• Use Interventions to teach new pro-social

responses:

Structured Skill Building

Problem Solving

• Works best in similar situations that the offender

continuously “resolves” ineffectively

• ID the skill deficit, ID a skill to replace the deficit,

and teach and practice the new skill

Structured Skill Building

• T4C’s 50 social skills

• Requires that each skill be introduced and

taught following concrete steps

• Skill is modeled and role-played

• Staff provides feedback and assigns

homework

Structured Skill: Avoiding Trouble with Others

• Decide if you are in a situation that might get you

into trouble. (thinking)

• Decide if you want to get out of the situation.

(thinking)

• Tell the other people what you decide and why.

(action)

• Suggest other things you might do. (action)

• Do what you think is best for you. (action)

Problem Solving

• Advanced Social Skill. Steps include:ID the problem and clarify goal

Brainstorm and evaluate solutions

Develop steps for best option and try it out

• Practitioner should model and role play steps for Problem Solving also

• For both Structured Skill Building and Problem Solving, homework should be to try the skill

• Practitioner should review at next meeting

What If the Behavior Continues?

Effective Use of Authority

• ID expected behavior and focus on behaviorBe direct and specific while using normal voice

• Specify choices and consequences Be direct and specific while using normal voice

• Encourage and guide toward compliance

Follow-through if non-compliance continues!

Use Effective Reinforcement with compliance!

Continuum of

Behavioral-Shaping Responses

• Pro-Social Response

Effective Reinforcement

Regular Affirmations

Less Frequent Affirmations

Behavior Normed

• Anti-Social Response

Effective Use of Authority

Follow-Through with

promised consequence

Continue increasing the

severity and delivering the

promised consequences

until the behavior stops

Observe an Anti-Social Behavior

Use Effective Disapproval

Issue Sanction and Deliver Intervention

Questions?

Jason Stauffer

PA Board of Probation and Parole

Bureau of Offender Reentry Coordination

(717) 787-5699 Ext. 1403

jastauffer@pa.gov