Desistance is the process by which an individual moves away from criminal behavior and builds a pro-social life. Among the many approaches that contribute to desistance, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) stands out as one of the most evidence-based strategies for helping people shift their thinking and behavioral patterns.
Yet designing and delivering CBT programs isn’t enough. Measuring the effectiveness of a program based on skill acquisition and behavioral change is of interest for both program participants and facilitators. Instruments like the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Skills Questionnaire (CBTSQ) is one such tool that can provide tangible evidence of change.
Desistance: Beyond recidivism
Historically, criminal justice systems have measured success through recidivism — whether someone reoffends. But recent scholarship cautions that recidivism is a limited and reactive measure. It tells us when someone failed, not when they succeeded or changed.
The shift toward desistance reframes the question: How does someone stop offending and build a new lifestyle? According to the National Institute of Justice, desistance is more of a process than an event. It involves internal psychological change. When people change the way they think, they are able to change the way they feel and behave.
CBT fits naturally into this paradigm because it targets the internal, psychological mechanisms of change. For example, a CBT technique called cognitive restructuring helps individuals identify thinking errors, irrational beliefs or antisocial cognitive patterns and replace them with responsible, pro-social thoughts and beliefs. CBT supports developing alternative behaviors to crime by teaching problem-solving skills, impulse control, anger management and goal setting.
Because desistance is about transformation, not just the absence of re-offending, interventions that focus on changing the way someone thinks are essential. Through CBT, individuals practice making responsible decisions, reflecting on their values, and building the sense that they can choose a different path.
In short, CBT builds the thinking and behavioral foundations for change — helping individuals shift from old patterns to new ones, and thereby increasing the possibility of desistance.
If internal change is a primary predictor of desistance, detecting such change is crucial. This is where measurement tools can show how skills gained through intervention translate to the real world. Desistance researchers point out that waiting for long-term behavioral outcomes (e.g., 5+ years crime-free) is often impractical for program evaluation.
Instead, measuring outcomes that are detectable early on, such as changes in thinking, attitudes and behaviors can provide evidence of progress without the waiting period.
The CBTSQ is a validated instrument used to measure how well someone is applying core skills taught in CBT. It assesses things like a person’s ability to restructure negative thoughts, activate positive behaviors, manage emotions and cope with challenges in healthy ways. In practice, organizations that use interventions like Interactive Journaling® can utilize CBTSQ pre- and post-tests to track how participants’ thinking and behavior are shifting during their program.
Pre/post measurement of CBT skills:
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Gives evidence of learning in the here and now
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Shows whether participants are acquiring the cognitive tools (e.g., recognizing thinking errors, planning alternative responses) that research links to desistance
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Strengthens program accountability by measuring indicators of effectiveness beyond just attendance
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Enables facilitators to make informed decisions about course changes (e.g., if skill acquisition is low, the curriculum or delivery can be adjusted)
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Desistance isn’t merely the absence of crime — it’s the active construction of a new life, which begins with developing new ways of thinking. CBT provides many of the tools that can facilitate that internal transformation. Research locates CBT squarely within desistance theory as a core intervention.
Measurement is the bridge between intervention and evidence of change. Observable results reinforce for facilitators that the program works and strengthens their confidence in delivering it. For participants, proof of progress shows that they’re getting somewhere and their efforts are paying off.
With tools like the CBTSQ, programs can make change — a sometimes abstract idea — observable through individualized, skill-specific data.
