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Criminological psychology (option): CBT for offenders and its effectiveness

Edexcel IAL Psychology · WPS03 Applications of Psychology

The treatment in this topic is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for offenders: how it is used and how effective it is (spec 6.1.6).

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How CBT works with offenders

CBT assumes thoughts, feelings and behaviour are linked: faulty or distorted thinking leads to problem behaviour, so changing thinking changes behaviour.

Offenders may show cognitive distortions such as:

Minimisation ('nobody really got hurt').
Hostile attribution bias (seeing neutral actions as threats: 'he looked at me, so he wanted a fight').
Blaming others or the victim.

Typical stages:

1. Assessment and identifying distorted thoughts (often from a formulation).

2. Challenging the thoughts: examining evidence, considering other explanations, taking the victim's perspective.

3. Skills training: problem-solving, anger control, social skills, moral reasoning, often through role-play.

4. Practice and homework, relapse prevention.

CBT for offenders is often delivered in groups in prison or the community, in structured programmes.

Effectiveness

Lipsey, Landenberger and Wilson (2007), a systematic review of 58 studies:

On average CBT reduced reoffending by about 25% (from about 40% in control groups to about 30%).
The best-designed programmes were predicted to cut reoffending by about 52%.
Larger effects with higher-risk offenders, high-quality implementation by well-trained staff, and programmes including anger control and interpersonal problem-solving.
No 'brand name' programme was better than the others, and prison versus community setting made no difference.

Evaluation

Strengths: strong evidence base from many controlled studies; structured, so it can be delivered consistently to groups (cost-effective); targets thinking linked to offending; works across settings.
Weaknesses: effectiveness depends on staff training and offender motivation, and drop-out is common; offenders may say what staff want to hear (social desirability), so changes in thinking may not last outside; it focuses on the individual and may ignore social causes such as poverty, peers or housing; measuring reoffending relies on reconvictions, which miss undetected crime.

Worked example

Using Lipsey et al.'s figures, reoffending fell from about 40% to about 30%. Show that this is a 25% reduction.

Fall = 40 - 30 = 10 percentage points.
10 / 40 x 100 = 25.0% of the original rate.
So reoffending fell by a quarter.

Answer: 10 / 40 = 25%.

Key idea: CBT for offenders: identify and challenge cognitive distortions (minimisation, hostile attribution, blaming), then skills training (anger control, problem-solving), practice and relapse prevention. Lipsey et al. (2007): 58 studies, about 25% reduction in reoffending; better with high-risk offenders, good implementation, anger control and problem-solving.

Check yourself

An offender says 'He looked at me funny, so he was asking for it.' This shows
- hostile attribution bias
- minimisation
- a protective factor
- weapons focus
Show answer
hostile attribution bias. Neutral actions seen as hostile.
'It was only a bit of shoplifting, it doesn't hurt anyone' is an example of
- hostile attribution bias
- post-event information
- minimisation
- a self-fulfilling prophecy
Show answer
minimisation. Playing down the harm.
How many studies did Lipsey, Landenberger and Wilson (2007) review?
Show answer
58. 58 studies.
Lipsey et al. (2007) found CBT worked better when
- it was a famous brand-name programme
- it was delivered only in prisons
- offenders were low-risk
- it was delivered well by trained staff to higher-risk offenders
Show answer
it was delivered well by trained staff to higher-risk offenders. Implementation quality and risk level mattered.
Which is a weakness of CBT for offenders?
- It has never been evaluated
- It may ignore social causes such as poverty
- It cannot be delivered in groups
- It relies on medication
Show answer
It may ignore social causes such as poverty. Individual focus.
Evaluate the effectiveness of CBT as a treatment for offenders in one point.
Show answer
Lipsey et al.'s review of 58 studies found CBT reduced reoffending by about 25%, but effectiveness depends on staff training and offender motivation.. Evidence plus a limitation.

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Last updated 8 November 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.