Supervision: A Behavioral Management Process to Reduce Recidivism

III. Behavior and Change:
Communication Tools

Communication is the "art" of supervision.

Offenders and others in need of behavior change often do not respond to authority figures directly, or because they "said so." Frequently the power of persuasion is needed to achieve results.

Staff must learn to use communication skills to:

  • gather information in the assessment phase,
  • to inform offenders of an assessment,
  • to collaborate on supervision plans and behavioral contracts, and
  • to provide routine feedback to offenders on their progress.

All of these critical activities, especially feedback, require that the communication between offender and staff is an open dialogue that allows offenders to learn about their own behavior and acquire skills to address deficits.

The fundamental supervision tool-staff-offender contacts-is the cornerstone to this dialogue. The staffoffender contact is the time when information can be learned from and shared with offenders. How the information is presented determines how much offenders and staff learn from each part of the supervision process and, in turn, how much behavior change occurs. It is critical that offender interviews not be loose conversations that may or may not lead toward a goal. The semi-structured interview provides general guidelines for the initiation, middle and conclusion of the discussion without prescribing an exact set of questions. This keeps the discussion on track while allowing flexibility to fit staff's personal style.