This book draws on the latest literature to highlight a fundamental challenge in offender rehabilitation; it questions the ability of contemporary approaches to address this challenge, and proposes an alternative strategy of criminal justice that integrates control, opportunity, and autonomy.* Provides an up to date review of the links between cognition and criminal behavior, as well as treatment and rehabilitation* Engages directly with the antisocial underpinnings of criminal behavior, a major impediment to treatment and rehabilitation* Outlines a clear strategy for communicating with offenders which is firmly rooted in the "What Works" literature, is evidence-based, and provides a way of engaging even the most antisocial of offenders by presenting them with meaningful opportunities to change* Offers hands-on instructions based upon the real-life tactics and presentation of the high-risk offender

Preface ixAcknowledgements xiIntroduction 1Understanding Offending Behavior 1Hard?-Core 5Cognitive Self Change 9A Human Connection 12Phenomenology and Self?]reports: Some Preliminary Comments about Method 14Summary of Chapters 161 The Idea of Criminal Thinking 25Ellis, Beck, and Antisocial Schemas 33Psychopathology or Irresponsibility 39An Alternative Point of View 442 Offenders Speak their Minds 48Seven Male Offenders 49Three Young Women 58Three Violent Mental Health Patients 62Two Problematic Groups 64Three British Gang Members 72Conclusions and Interpretations 753 Cognitive-Emotional-Motivational Structure 78The Idea of Conscious Agency: a Likely Story 79Will and Volition, Self and Self?]interest 82The Model 85Basic Outlaw Logic: Learning the Rewards of Criminal Thinking 89Variations of Criminal Thinking 92Conclusions and Implications 944 Supportive Authority and the Strategy of Choices 97The Problem of Engagement 97Conditions of Communication and Engagement 99Supportive Authority 102Rethinking Correctional Treatment 109The Strategy of Choices 109Final Comments 1155 Cognitive Self Change 118Four Basic Steps 121Collaboration and the Strategy of Choices 139Brief Notes on Program Delivery: Group Size, Duration and Intensity, Facilitator Qualifications and Training 1416 Extended Applications of Supportive Authority 145Why Offenders Need Help 145Not Either/Or: Some Promising Examples 146The System as the Intervention: Some Recent Examples 152Supportive Authority, Revisited 157An Idealistic Proposal (with modest expectations) 1597 How We Know: Some Observations about Evidence 162Introduction 162Cognitive Self Change 164The Significance of Subjectivity 165Science and Subjectivity 169Bibliography 175Index 183