III. Appropriate Services for Stages of Change

Pre-Contemplation:

The offender does not believe that a problem exists. The offender usually thinks that everything is fine and there is nothing wrong. They are, in other words, in denial. Staff should attempt to engage offenders in self-diagnosis. Allowing offenders the opportunity to "take stock" of their current situation helps offenders identify what they need. This makes offenders begin to think about why they are on supervision and this may help offenders see that they have some problem that needs to be addressed. When an offender at least recognizes that a problem exists, they have moved from denial to ambivalence. The focus of services should be readiness to change and/or educational awareness building services.