Offender Placement into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy : Proposed Assessment Mechanism for use by the United States Probation Office for DC

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is currently one of the most commonly implemented programs for the American correctional system, though many professionals in the system lack the appropriate knowledge to determine which offenders should be placed into CBT. As such, this research seeks to examine academic literature regarding the applicability of CBT to certain populations and utilize findings to develop a hypothetical assessment mechanism for use by the United States Probation Office of DC (USPO) in determining which offenders to place into CBT. The resulting research paper and assessment mechanism discuss the need for an informed screening process that captures those offenders most likely to benefit from CBT. Specifically, this research paper and assessment mechanism suggest that the aforementioned need is best met including offenders who are of moderate risk/need as the most likely to benefit from CBT, and excluding those who are both high risk and high need as well as low risk/need, and conversely least likely to benefit from CBT programs.