Corrections_Today_Winter_2025-2026_Vol.87_No.4

REHABILITATION

in areas where offenders have distortions. Although these differences may seem subtle, they are crucial for providing effective, individualized treatments to promote reductions in recidivism. In a broad sense, cognitive-behavioral interventions en compass three distinct components (Lipsey et al., 2007). The first involves cognitive training aimed at teaching offenders essential thinking skills such as interpersonal problem-solving, critical reasoning, causal thinking and perspective-taking. Scenarios are often used to develop and practice new coping mechanisms for situations that previously provoked youths’ maladaptive responses. Second, anger management training focuses on equipping offenders with the skills necessary to understand and address their automatic reactions that lead to aggression and violence (Lipsey et al., 2007). Specifically, ‘triggers’ are identified that result in distorted or deficient thinking processes. Strategies are devised to teach youths to sub stitute appropriate and adaptive thoughts for maladaptive ones. Finally, various supplementary components may be introduced to tailor interventions more specifically for individuals or groups. Some offenders may require ad ditional social skills or anger management training, while others may need intensive relapse therapy. For example, Lipsey et al. (2007) highlight the popularity of CBT relapse components, which teach youths to manage their interactions with high-risk situations, locations and peers to avoid reoffending. Reforming juvenile justice in Pennsylvania In 1995, legislators in Pennsylvania passed Act 33 of Special Session No.1, reestablishing the mission of the state’s juvenile justice system as one focused on bal anced and restorative justice (BARJ) (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2025). These new guidelines mandated the supervision of youth offenders through programs that provide balanced attention to protecting com munity members, caring for and rehabilitating youth offenders, imposing accountability for their actions and developing competencies to help youth become respon sible and productive members of society. To implement these objectives, key agencies and stakeholders were brought together to form Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Advi sory Committee. In 2010, in alignment with the state’s BARJ mission, the committee launched the Juvenile

Justice System Enhancement Strategy (JJSES) to further enhance outcomes for juvenile offenders (Common wealth of Pennsylvania, 2025). Since then, the JJSES framework has fortified and advanced the integration of evidence-based practices and quality assurance measures into youth treatment programs, based on the Risk Need-Responsivity approach and employing various cognitive-behavioral therapies as effective psychoeduca tional intervention techniques. Using trained volunteers to represent communities, youths are held accountable for their actions while trying to meet victims’ needs as well. Like in most jurisdictions, there are various settings in which youth treatment strategies and interventions may be applied, including secure detention facilities, community-based programs, or as part of diversion ary dispositions. State mandates indicate youth should be served by the least restrictive environments able to provide the most suitable programmatic interventions matching their individualized needs assessment. Author ities endeavor to divert the lowest-risk youths away from official entry into the justice system as much as possible (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2020). The Acceler ated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program is an effective pre-trial diversionary intervention frequently used with youths who commit minor, non-violent offens es. All counties in the state have ARD programs in place. From a restorative justice perspective, Youth Aid Panels (YAPs) offer similar diversionary support and guidance to first-time, non-serious offenders (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2020). Using trained volunteers to repre sent communities, youths are held accountable for their actions while trying to meet victims’ needs as well. Programs in Pennsylvania’s juvenile system

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