An Effective Approach to the Bad Check Problem

One method that many courts and district attorneys have found particularly effective for the past two decades is requiring offenders to attend a bad check class. Many of these counties show dramatic drops in recidivism among bad check writers in their communities. Travis County, Texas, for example, reported that initially 40 to 50% of the bad checks filed with their office had been written by repeat offenders. After running bad check classes, the recidivism rate dropped to between 5 and 10%. The results have been an increase in collections, fewer losses to the community, less paper work, reduced court dockets, plus helpful budgeting and counseling to the offenders.

The American Community Corrections Institute (ACCI), a provider of bad check course materials, explains that the classes work by throwing "a psychological monkey-wrench into their mental gears" and that this causes offenders anxiety and fear about re-offending. They report that their course materials disrupt and confuse offenders’ criminal thinking and thereby act as a strong deterrent to keep them from repeating. Whether or not the courses actually work this way or not is not clear, but what is clear is that remarkable results are being enjoyed using them.