An Intervention Program for Male Juvenile Offenders in Turkey: A Pilot Randomized Trial

• Published date: 01 October 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X231165417
• Author: Rukiye Kızıltepe,Durdane Gümüşten,Ece Sağel-Çetiner,Melisa Ebeoğlu Duman,Türkan Yılmaz Irmak,Şeyda Aksel
• Date: 01 October 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X231165417

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2023, Vol. 67(13-14) 1307 –1322

© The Author(s) 2023

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X231165417

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Article

An Intervention Program for

Male Juvenile Offenders in

Turkey: A Pilot Randomized

Trial

Rukiye Kızıltepe1, Durdane Gümüşten2,

Ece Sağel-Çetiner3, Melisa Ebeoğlu Duman4,

Türkan Yılmaz Irmak5, and Şeyda Aksel5

Abstract

Researchers have developed various intervention programs to prevent children from

committing crimes and from recidivism; however, few intervention programs have

been implemented in juvenile detention centers in Turkey. The aim of this study

was to examine the effectiveness of a psychoeducation program to improve the

social skills of juvenile offenders. The participants consisted of 38 male adolescents

aged 13 to 18 years (M = 17.02, SD = 1.14) randomly assigned to intervention (n = 19)

and comparison (n = 19) groups. The results demonstrated that the interaction

effects between the group and time were significant for communication and

empathy skills. The intervention program prevented declines in empathy skills among

program participants, while empathy skills decreased in the comparison group. The

participants also improved their communication skills, while comparison group

members’ communication skills declined over time. Considering the limited number

of intervention programs discussed in the literature, this study provides preliminary

support for the literature on intervention programs.

Keywords

juvenile offenders, intervention program, social skills, adolescent males, empathy

1Department of Psychology, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey

2Department of Psychology, Kahramanmaraş İstiklal University, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey

3Department of Psychology, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey

4Department of Psychology, Ufuk University, Ankara, Turkey

5Department of Psychology, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey

Corresponding Author:

Rukiye Kızıltepe, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Pamukkale

University, Pamukkale, Denizli, 20160, Turkey.

Email: rukiyekiziltepe@gmail.com

1165417IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X231165417International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyKızıltepe et al.

research-article2023

1308 International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 67(13-14)

The number of juvenile offenders in Turkey is a major concern. The Turkish Statistics

Institute (2022) reported that 132,934 adolescents came to security units due to com-

mitting offenses in the last year. Despite the increase in the number of juvenile offend-

ers, intervention programs aiming to promote social skills and the well-being of

juvenile offenders are uncommon in Turkey. Criminal behavior has many negative

effects, not only on children and their families (Azad & Ginner Hau, 2020; Ward &

Williams, 2015) but also on society (Sontheimer & Goodstein, 1993). Therefore, there

is a need to develop intervention programs to decrease risk factors that increase the

likelihood of recidivism and to promote protective factors.

Intervention Programs for Juvenile Offenders

Researchers have developed various intervention programs to prevent adolescents

from committing offenses and recidivating (Loeber & Farrington, 2011; Spruit et al.,

2018). The aim of intervention programs in juvenile detention centers is to improve

the psychosocial skills of juvenile offenders and to prevent them from recidivating

(Andrews et al., 1990; Howell & Lipsey, 2004; Sontheimer & Goodstein, 1993). These

programs mostly focus on increasing juvenile offenders’ empathy, anger management,

communication, and problem-solving skills (Alexander, 2000; Kendall et al., 2017;

Zhou et al., 2018). For example, the TOOLs4U program deals with aggression, cogni-

tive distortions, peer pressure, and conflict management among juvenile offenders

(Van der Stouwe et al., 2016). Another study conducted with juvenile offenders

reported using interactive practices that led to positive developments in communica-

tion skills (Sanger et al., 1999).

A meta-analysis showed that the majority of previous intervention programs did not

use an experimental design, and the effectiveness of these programs was not evaluated

(Lipsey, 2009). Lipsey (2009) recommends the use of cognitive-behavioral interven-

tions that help improve problem solving and social interactions but also that challenge

disturbing behavior. According to cognitive approaches, thought processes underlie

the aggressive behaviors of children. Examples of such programs are social problem-

solving training, social skills training, and qualitative retraining (Hudley & Graham,

1993). For example, in a cognitive-behavioral group program for male prison inmates,

it was shown that the program can have positive effects on cognitive functions (Rijo

et al., 2020). In addition, the program reduced cognitive distortions and the visibility

of early maladaptive schemas. The social skills training approach focuses on develop-

ing appropriate behavioral responses in problematic social situations (Tolan & Guerra,

1994). These programs consist of modeling, behavioral rehearsal, and the use of feed-

back, which have been found to be effective in reducing violence in relationships

(Tolan & Guerra, 1994).

It is known that a limited number of intervention programs, such as the Think

First program, Anger Management program, and I’m Here program, have been

implemented by the Ministry of Justice (2022) or nongovernmental organizations

in juvenile detention centers in Turkey; however, to our knowledge, there is no