Mission Statement: To ensure that those in the criminal justice fields have access to appropriate, evidence-based, behavior analytic, therapeutic resources to reduce crime and delinquency. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been useful in addressing societal problems related to the criminal justice field. For example, the role of teaching families in reducing recidivism and the improvement of prison drug programs. ABA has been helpful in guiding the court system in identifying effective sanctions, called graduated sanctions, understanding the effects of behavioral/cognitive-behavioral programs on recidivism, parent training, functional behavioral assessment and team problem solving schools for emotionally and behaviorally disordered students. It has also impacted the assessment of child sexual abuse. Continued advocacy and research are needed to make behavior analytic services available to criminal justice, mental health, military and veterans’ fields and to document the efficacy of behavior analysis in these applications. Our annual business meeting is open to all those interested. We will discuss our goals as a special interest group, further areas of research and how to use this field for the public good. |