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  5. Cognitive behavior therapy reduces crime and violence over 10 years: Experimental evidence

Cognitive behavior therapy reduces crime and violence over 10 years: Experimental evidence

  • Christopher Blattman
  • Sebastian Chaskel
  • Julian C. Jamison
  • Margaret Sheridan
American Economic Review: Insights (Forthcoming)

Abstract

Several small, short-term, or non-experimental studies show that cognitive behavioralinformed interventions reduce antisocial behaviors over 1–2 years, but there is little research on persistence. We followed 999 high-risk men in Liberia 10 years after randomization into: 8 weeks of low-cost, nonspecialist-led therapy; $200 cash; both; or neither. A decade later, antisocial behaviors (such as robbery and drug-selling) fell 0.2 standard deviations from therapy alone—significantly greater than the 1-year impacts. Meanwhile, men who received therapy plus cash were 0.25 standard deviations less antisocial—similar to their 1-year results. In both cases, impacts were concentrated in men exhibiting highest baseline risk.

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