Prevent crime with… therapy

These guys know that stealing is bad; they know that drug dealing is bad, or at least that society considers it a bad thing. They know that drug using is considered bad. And so they don’t disagree on what the moral principles are in society. They just don’t necessarily believe that that’s their group. Like, why, that’s bad for you, but that’s not bad for guys like me. And so that was their image, that was their self-image. And so the goal was to actually get them to try thinking like mainstream society members.

That’s Freakonomics Radio covering my study of cognitive behavior therapy and crime in Liberia. Crimes drop up to 50%.

The previous week covered a similar program in Chicago, with similar success. Our study here (including a policy summary) and the Chicago study here.

 

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