Criminal Thinking Reform

Criminal Thinking Reform

Perrion Roberts

www.TrueVinePublishing.org

Criminal Thinking Reform Perrion Roberts

Published by 

True Vine Publishing Co. 

810 Dominican Dr. Ste. 103 Nashville, TN 37228

www.TrueVinePublishing.org

Copyright © 2023 by Perrion Robers

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission or further information should be addressed to Bridging Another Gap Foundation.

ISBN: 978-1-956469-68-4 Paperback

ISBN: 978-1-956469-69-1 eBook

Cover design by Perrion Roberts

Printed in the United States of America.

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Table of Contents

About Criminal Thinking Reform

Chapter 1 Criminal Thinking and Behavior

Chapter 2 A Difficult Path, but Worth the Effort

Chapter 3 Confront the Criminal in You

Chapter 4 You’re No Exception to the Rules

Chapter 5 The Face in the Mirror

Chapter 6 Practicing Mindfulness

Chapter 7Let Go of the Chameleon Game

Chapter 8 Living Your Life On Life Own’s Terms

Chapter 9 The Hardest Prison to Escape is In Your Mind

Chapter 10 Become Adaptable to Circumstances

Chapter 11 Prepare Yourself for Lots of Downtimes and Life Changes

Chapter 12 Life Assessment

Chapter 13 Practice Deferred Gratification

Chapter 14 Unstrapping Your Inner Self

Chapter 15 Repairing Your Life and Giving It Direction

Chapter 16 Moving Beyond the Guilt and Shame

Chapter 17You Are Not Who You Used to Be

Chapter 18 Stop Allowing People to Control You

Chapter 19 It’s Never Too Late. Don’t Give Up

Chapter 20 Stay Alert. Your Goals Are Manifesting

Chapter 21 Focus On Your Success

Chapter 22 Adjusting to Normalcy and Living Free

Chapter 23 Healthy Relationships Are Vital

Chapter 24 Forming Healthy Habits

Chapter 25 You Are On the Path to Freedom

Mental Health

How to Adapt to Society After Prison

General Information Rights Upon Release

Voting

State Felon Voting Laws and Policies

21 States: Vote Restored After Prison

Rebuilding Prisoners and Returning Citizen’s Credit

Employment

National Felon Friendly Companies

Public Benefits and Federal Assistance Organizations

Welfare and Food Stamps

Disability Insurance Benefits

Mental Health and Medical Assistance

Public Housing Assistance

Housing Rights

Military Service

Reentry Resources for Justice-Involved Individuals

Puzzles and Note Paper

About the Author

About Criminal Thinking Reform

This workbook is designed specifically to help inmates and formally incarcerated inmates live a crime-free life by changing their criminal thinking to responsible thinking. It can be used as a class text and as a reference guide for inmates to use outside of class. 

It’s also a systematic, cognitive-behavioral, step-by-step treatment strategy designed to enhance self-image, promote positive, productive identity, and facilitate the development of higher stages of moral reasoning. 

This program will help participants significantly increase moral reasoning levels, enhance life purpose, facilitate increased social support, and gives participants more perceived control over their lives. Participants must implement daily the steps designed in this workbook to change their conscious decisionmaking to a higher level of rational thinking. 

By following this guideline, a participant will have a significantly lower rearrest and reincarceration level. This workbook is also designed for a participant who has been released from prison for more than 10 years.

This workbook is to help participants exercise the skills that were introduced in that chapter. In addition, each chapter in the workbook includes fill-in-the-blank examples for participants to answer. Finally, there are blank pages at the end of the book on which the participants can write notes. For some participants, this workbook will serve as the main text for research and writing courses that they must complete within their prison sentence. 

There are group exercises included at the end of each chapter. This workbook will be used as an ancillary to the main text for other participants. In this case, the instructor will incorporate one or more of the chapters from this workbook into their regular course content to teach specific criminal thinking exercising skills. Because the instructor might teach only specific chapters, they will tell the participant which handouts and which chapter to use.

Chapter 1

Criminal Thinking and Behavior

To have once been a criminal is no disgrace. To remain a criminal is the disgrace.

  -Malcolm X

Why do people commit criminal acts? 

Are they pure evil in nature? 

What compels people to behave in criminal ways is a concern for many criminologists and psychologists. Unfortunately, lawmakers and policymakers attempt to understand this behavior as a whole when it simply boils down to one person. 

The reason why you are engaging in criminal behaviors is specific to you. The ramifications of those actions are also specific to you. So, it is you who must change and become better. All of your actions are caused by your criminal thinking, and those thoughts are consistent patterns of distorted thinking errors that result in irresponsible and arrestable behavior. One of the most common errors in thinking is the failure to consider the injury to others. As a general rule, criminal thinkers do not consider the effect of their actions on others. Several criminals have a history of antisocial behavior. At the same time, others suffer from antisocial/pro-criminal (attitudes and values), pro-criminal associates and isolation from others who are anti-criminals, temperamental and personality factors, including psychopathy, impulsivity, and other cognitive deficits.

Recovery is tough. It is painful, bitter, and disquieting. Recovery can be nerve-racking, whether you struggle with addiction, risky behaviors, or getting in trouble with the law. It will take every bone in your body, every muscle, every tissue, and nerve fiber to say no to things you would previously do in the blink of an eye. It will take more than just time and energy to break this cycle. It will soak all your energy and drain you until you see some positive results. Trust the process.

There are plenty of steps to recovery, but the first and most important step is to take responsibility for your mistakes and accept the consequences of your behavior. Since the first step is self-reflection, you need to sit in a quiet place and think about your life honestly and truthfully. If you’re not ready to confront your deepest thoughts and criminal behavior, this workbook will be difficult for you because that is just the beginning. 

Fact Finder: Criminal thinking is a consistent pattern of distorted thinking errors resulting in irresponsible and arrestable behavior. One of the most common errors in criminal thinking is the failure to consider the injury to others. As a general rule, criminal thinkers do not consider the effect of their actions.

The National Institute of Corrections developed Thinking for a Change (T4C), a cognitive-behavioral curriculum that concentrates on changing the criminogenic thinking of offenders. There are National Institutes all over the country trying to figure out how to help a criminal change the way they think. Do you believe that you can change your thinking patterns? Yes, there is a way out of that trap called the cognitive treatment of offenders. With effort and practice, even the most violent offenders can learn to change their thinking about other people and themselves. Most importantly, you will learn to be good and feel good about it.

Changing your habits can be difficult and painful for you, especially if you are unwilling to let go of criminal thinking and behavior. The path to recovery is, albeit challenging, but it is rewarding. Because at the end of the day, you get to change how your life turns out. Consistent baby steps will help you get to the end of the road. So, you have the power to say, This is not how my story will end.

There are many factors in your life as an offender directly related to recidivism called criminogenic. Research has identified six factors directly related to crime: low self-control, antisocial personality, anti-social values, criminal peers, substance abuse, and dysfunctional family.

Most people like yourself who have criminal-like thinking and behavior find it difficult to break the cycle, and the road to recovery will be even tougher for them. A way to recognize your criminal-like behavior is by playing a game. It's called the criminal game, A.K.A Con Game. Once you have been able to play the game, you will be able to identify the areas of your life that this game has influenced. Then, you can start working on yourself and make a conscious effort not to repeat the game. 

To recover, you have to break this cycle and get to the path of recovery, breaking from whatever is causing your addictive behavior and your criminal acts. If you are struggling with this, this workbook will be very helpful for you. It will help you identify your faulty thought processes and motivate you to modify your actions. Although, you have to be faithful to yourself and take responsibility for your actions instead of playing the blame game. 

The decisions you make and what choices your behavior influences are all determined by your brain. Inside you is a person that is full of talent and potential. You are full of capabilities and qualities that are unique and specific to you. They make you special. If you look deep down, you will realize that you have a force inside you that constantly pushes you to achieve your dreams and goals, determine your destiny, fulfill your dreams, and that you’re on the road to having a good life.

There are many aspects of our personality hidden inside of us. Ones that want to make things right want to stop hurting others and themselves by doing drugs, engaging in theft, robbery, and reckless behavior. However, the past can be difficult to move on from.  Every time you try to change, you find something within you stopping you or telling you that you will never be the same no matter what you do.

(Try thinking of this)

Don’t try to be perfect. Try to be better. If you made a mistake, learn from it. Move on. You’re already one step ahead of your past.

Q1.) What are criminal thinking errors?

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Q2.) What are criminal thinking patterns?

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Q3.) Can criminal thinking patterns among known offenders be changed? ___ Yes ___ No. Explain.

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Q4.) What is Thinking for a Change?

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Q5.) Now, did you ever play the ‘criminal game?’ ___Yes  ___ No. Elaborate on your answer.

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Q6.) How, why, and who did you hurt in the process? Take an extra paper if required, but truthfully write down what you have done in the past or present.

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Q7.) What do you think about yourself and your behavior?

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Now is the time you must be completely honest about yourself and your choices. Write down all of your past criminal behavior. It is pointless to lie to yourself. Explain who did you hurt and why. The extra paper will be required.

Do you love yourself? If so, what is your plan to change your criminal thinking behavior to achieve total self-love?

Group Activity

You don’t have to be alone in the process of recovery. You can be a part of a group or share it with a friend. 

Your first task is to attend an imaginary person’s funeral. Appoint a mediator in your room who’ll be mediating this activity. The words the mediator will say are marked in bold. 

"This person shares your life story but isn’t exactly you. You are supposed to view your life from a third person’s perspective and think about what people say. Instead, you’ll be an attendee to the funeral who will have to give an opinion about this person’s life.