Training Correctional Staff to Recognize Criminal Thinking: In the Act

This book, featuring a trainer manual and facilitator resources, provides correctional agencies with a comprehensive approach to enhancing criminal thinking interventions. By equipping frontline staff with practical tools, it empowers them to actively reduce disruptive behavior in ways aligned with evidence-based rehabilitation models. The manual underscores the critical role correctional officers and unit staff play in influencing behavior, emphasizing how their daily interactions with incarcerated individuals are essential for fostering change.

The first section prepares training facilitators by discussing the importance of addressing criminal thinking through a therapeutic, rather than punitive, approach. It outlines the structure of the training, provides guidance on managing sessions and participant engagement, and offers recommendations for evaluating training effectiveness.

At the core of the book is a structured training curriculum that delivers practical strategies for addressing criminal thinking in correctional settings. Detailed slide-by-slide annotations support facilitators in delivering each module. The curriculum offers clear instructions on recognizing and managing cognitive distortions contributing to criminal behavior, equipping staff with intervention tools. It also addresses challenges in working with diverse populations, providing strategies for tailoring interventions to different groups.

The final section focuses on applying learned principles through hands-on exercises, case studies, and role-playing scenarios, ensuring staff can implement strategies in real-world situations. The manual provides a structured yet adaptable framework, allowing senior correctional officers and administrators to effectively train their teams.

With supplemental resources, including worksheets and scripts, this book serves as a practical, evidence-based guide to reducing criminal thinking, improving institutional safety, and enhancing rehabilitation outcomes within correctional facilities.

Ashley B. Batastini is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science at Swinburne University of Technology, located in Melbourne, Australia. She earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology at Texas Tech University after completing a pre-doctoral internship at Western State Hospital in Tacoma, Washington. She received her Master of Science degree in Psychology with a focus in Forensic Psychology from Drexel University and her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Her work focuses on developing novel intervention strategies for higher-risk populations, and improving access to appropriate interventions at various stages of criminal legal involvement. Dr. Batastini has authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications related to topics such as the psychological effects of administrative segregation, barriers to employment for people with criminal records, violence risk assessment, and the efficacy of telepsychology in assessment and treatment. She has also authored or co-authored numerous book chapters related to the treatment of justice-involved persons and is the lead developer of Stepping Up, Stepping Out: A Mental Health Treatment Program for Inmates in Restrictive Housing.  

Ashley C. T. Jones, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi.  She completed her pre-doctoral internship and a postdoctoral fellow in forensic psychology at Utah State Hospital in Provo, Utah. Dr. Jones earned her Master of Science degree in Psychology from Arizona State University and her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. Her research focuses on the use of technology to increase access to forensic and correctional services and understanding its impact on treatment and court proceedings. Dr. Jones was the recipient of two competitive dissertation grants from the American Psychological Foundation and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and received the Outstanding Graduate Student Award given by the Criminal Justice Section of Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Service) of the American Psychological Association.

Kaylee E. Cook, B.A., is a Counseling Psychology Ph.D. candidate at the University of Memphis with an expected graduation of August 2025. She is completing pre-doctoral internship in psychology with the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. Her clinical interests include substance use disorders among incarcerated populations. Her research interests focus on program evaluation of correctional interventions and re-entry post-release, particularly employment-related barriers. Beyond research and clinical work, she has been active in professional and community organizations aimed at improving experiences and outcomes for justice-involved persons. Her dissertation examined the effectiveness of brief training strategies on employment-related attitudes for people with criminal histories. She was the inaugural recipient of The Gavel Award and received the Outstanding Psychology Student Award, both given by the Criminal Justice Section of Division 18 of the American Psychological Association.