The first 20 years as we conducted Life Skills classes, we had excellent response.
But it wasn't until the next ten years, and especially the last five,
that we really learned what it took to reach a level where permanent change could take place.
In the latest research of over 5,000 graduates from our Home Study Program, we found that 60% had a strong,
significant cognitive restructuring experience, 30% had a good experience and 10% remained resistant and received little or no help from the workbook.
This also mirrors our experience with group sessions.
Bastrop County, Texas Recidivism Rate Study
The longest ongoing recidivism study we conducted was in Bastrop County, Texas.
We tracked recidivism rates for eight years until our computer data became corrupted. With the full
cooperation of then District Attorney Charles Penick, all offenders were required to take an ACCI Life Skills class, including
repeat offenders.
| January 1991 to November 2000 |
| Attended: | 1,369 |
| Repeats: | 43 |
| Percent Repeated: | 3.2% |
The 3.2% represents the repeat rate within the county, and based on prior studies,
the true recidivism rate would be approximately 6 to 8%.
Together all results directly indicate that our form of cognitive restructuring can drastically reduce recidivism rates.
Other agencies, like Bell County Texas Adult Probation, which has been conducting the LOC-2 program for 15 years,
sees very few repeats but have never conducted a recidivism study. As a private agency, we find it difficult to conduct
recidivism studies because of the restricted use of local and state criminal records.
Bad Check Classes
Another study that showed the effectiveness of using our approach with criminal offenders was our one-day
Bad Check (Hot Check) Classes, held mostly in Texas.
In each jurisdiction, we worked with the county or district attorney's Bad Check Department to ascertain their current recidivism rate of hot check writers.
On the average, their data showed showed that 40 to 50% of the offenders being turned in by the merchants were repeat offenders.
Most of these offenders knew they were going to get a warning letter from the county or district attorney and used that time like credit,
knowing eventually they would have to pay a fine to the county and the merchant. However, when the Bad Check Class started,
they were directed to do all of the above, but now to avoid prosecution they would have to attend a Saturday Bad Check Class.
The effect was felt immediately and by the end of the first year, recidivism rates dropped to less than 10%.
In Brenham, Washington County, Texas, it fell so sharply that the county attorney had to suspend our program.
Because of the loss of revenue he was faced with laying off some clerks. In the end, we had to close the location because there weren't enough offenders
to hold a class. You can draw your own conclusion to this study.
The latest study that helps back our claim that we are the most effective cognitive life skills program in the nation is the Box Elder County Study.
No program, no other lifeskills counseling program could accomplish what happened in Box Elder County, Utah.
If your jurisdiction could have at least half the success of Box Elder County, it would ease caseloads and court calendars.
