0 - National Criminal Justice Reference Service

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A third scale dealt with the level of denial perceived by the counselor (coefficient alpha = .79).
This scale included items dealing with an inmate’s unwillingness to believe that he needs help or
admit that he has a drug and/or alcohol problem. In particular, counselors strongly agreed with
statements that the inmate is “in denial”, “unmotivated to recover”, and “manipulative” (Hiller et
al., 2000: 16). Finally, psychological problems (coefficient alpha = .71) constituted the last scale,
based on the counselor’s judgments about an inmate’s mental state. Statements that counselors
strongly agreed with were those that dealt with the inmate being “hostile or aggressive”,
“depressed”, impulsive”, “nervous”, “anxious”, and “easily distracted” (Hiller et al., 2000: 16).
Factor analyses also identified four main content themes addressed by counselors during
sessions with their clients, defined by Hiller et al(2000) as counselor foci. The first of these scales
was seljkonfrontation (coefficient alpha = .87), addressing topics concerning the acceptance of
responsibility, inmate reduction of denial, and inmate improvement of objectivity. The second scale
was defined as lfe skiZls development (coefficient alpha = .89), which includes the improvement of
communication skills, development of coping mechanisms and strategies to avoid recurrence of
drug and/or alcohol use, and the ability to make new friends. Family was the third major
counseling dimension identified (coefficient alpha = .85), which deals with trust, rapport, the
exploration of feelings, specifling short-term goals and objectives, and improving family relations
(Hiller et al., 2000: 17). A fourth dimension, labeledfinancial management, concentrated on
managing finances, job opportunities, occupational issues, and the definition of long-range goals
(coefficient alpha = .89).
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This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not
been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.