A Randomized Controlled Trial of ACT-P Versus T4C for Community Reentry

Iowa State University

Status: Invitation-only

Conditions: Criminal Behavior; Violence

Treatments: Behavioral: T4C; Behavioral: ACT-P

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05109689

19-569-00

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of the proposed study is to determine the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for prisons (ACT-P) and Thinking for a Change (T4C) as reentry programs in a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Full description

The proposed study will focus on medium to high risk adult males, currently institutionalized and approaching release, who will be randomized to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for prisons (ACT-P) or the Thinking for a Change (T4C) program. ACT-P is a cognitive behavioral treatment that targets acceptance and mindfulness processes to reduce criminal behavior, and has been adapted for the prison setting. T4C is a widely used and well-established traditional cognitive behavioral program that targets changing criminal thinking.

The first aim of the study is to test the relative efficacy of the ACT-P intervention, compared to T4C, on recidivism. Recidivism will be measured in 3 ways: rearrests, reconvictions, and reincarceration during the 3 years post-release. A secondary aim is to test the theory of change and the proposed mechanisms of ACT-P and T4C. By focusing on the mechanisms that account for program success, it will provide insight into the theory of change underlying each program. Based on the theories underlying each treatment, we hypothesize differences in mechanisms of action between the two treatments. Given the emphasis in T4C on cognitive change, we predict stronger mediation effects in T4C for reductions in antisocial/criminal thinking. In contrast, we hypothesize that increases in psychological flexibility would be stronger mediators for ACT-P than for T4C.

Enrollment: 400 estimated patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• deemed medium or high risk according to the Iowa Risk Revised
• eligible and appropriate for cognitive programming as determined by normal operating procedures

Exclusion criteria

• court-mandated to either program

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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400 participants in 2 patient groups

ACT-P

Experimental group

Description:

ACT-P is a cognitive behavioral program based on acceptance and commitment therapy, and it has been modified for use in the prison setting.

Treatment:

Behavioral: ACT-P

T4C

Active Comparator group

Description:

Thinking for Change (T4C) is an evidence-based cognitive behavioral program focused on changing criminal thinking.

Treatment:

Behavioral: T4C