Abstract
This research examined the recidivism rates of participants of the Contra Costa County Department’s Girls in Motion (GIM) treatment program who were committed during 2013 and 2015. Research has established cognitive behavioral interventions as the most effective in reducing recidivism, particularly when they adhere to the Risk- Need-Responsivity (RNR) principle. Given that the need principle has identified antisocial attitudes as a main risk factor for offending, many interventions have been developed to address criminogenic thinking. Thinking for a Change (T4C) is one of many cognitive behavioral interventions that addresses criminogenic thinking. Additionally, many instruments have been created to measure cognitive distortions. One such instrument is the How I Think Questionnaire (HIT-Q). Using the HIT-Q pretest and posttest scores, the study examined whether or not participants who recidivated had lower score differences than those who did not recidivate. The sample for this study consisted of 41 program participants. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The HIT-Q scores were analyzed using univariate and bivariate analysis. The results indicated 88 % of the participants recidivated following completion of the GIM program. Additionally, the results showed there is no significant difference in scores between participants who recidivated and those who did not, as well as no significant relationship between score differences and type of re-offense.