Forgiveness therapy in a maximum‐security correctional institution: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective: Forgiveness Therapy is proposed as a novel approach to rehabilitation for men in a maximum-security correctional institution to alleviate psychological compromises. Method:In a two-tiered study, volunteer participants within a correctional institution (N = 103) were asked to report past experiences of abuse and unjust treatment prior to their first crime and were measured on anger, anxiety, depression, hope and forgiveness. Twenty four of the most clinically compromised participants were selected from this initial assessment, with pairs first matched on certain characteristics and then randomly assigned to either experimental or control group interventions followed by a cross-over design (N = 9 in each group at the study's end). Experimental participants received 24 weeks of Forgiveness Therapy. Control group participants received 24 weeks of an alternative treatment followed by Forgiveness Therapy. Dependent variables included anger, anxiety, depression, forgiveness, hope, self-esteem and empathy.Results: Ninety percent of 103 participants reported moderate to severe abuse in childhood or adolescence. Data showed an inverse relationship between forgiveness and anger, anxiety and depression. In the Forgiveness Therapy, anger, anxiety, depression, empathy and forgiveness were statistically significant favouring both experimental groups. These results remained at the 6-month follow-up.Conclusions: Forgiveness Therapy is shown to be effective for correctional rehabilitation in healing clinical psychological compromise and in promoting positive psychological well-being in men within a maximum-security facility.

The Efficacy of a Forgiveness Bibliotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial with Nursing Students

“…However, for the health measures (PROMIS ® scales) used in this study, any changes in the total scores from 2-5 points would be considered minimally meaningful (Health Measures, n.d.). Furthermore, the increases in forgiveness by over 40 points are greater than the average amount of change in forgiveness shown in a recent forgiveness intervention study that used the EFI-30 as the forgiveness measure (Yu et al, 2021). However, note that the abovementioned two cases were chosen because of their greater amount of change compared to other participants; therefore, the positive outcomes for these two cases are not likely to represent others in the program.…”

“…Those assigned to the experimental group read one chapter/ one key a week from Robert D. Enright’s (2005) 8 Keys to Forgiveness , which was used as the forgiveness bibliotherapy manual. The 8 Keys to Forgiveness was used as the bibliotherapy manual in this study due to its clear layout covering one key to forgiveness per chapter with multiple exercises to help participants master important concepts and due to its recent use as a treatment manual in a therapeutic setting (for instance Yu et al, 2021).…”

The Practice of Spiritual Criminology: A Non-Doing Companionship for Crime Desistance

“…Enright and Fitzgibbons (2015) found that when people victimized by an offense chose to forgive the people who offended against them, this reduced their own as well as the offenders' anger, anxiety, and depression (Enright & Fitzgibbons, 2015). Similarly, forgiveness therapy in a maximum-security facility was found effective as a stand-alone treatment or as an addition to traditional correctional rehabilitation approaches in reducing anger, depression, and anxiety and in increasing empathy Yu et al, 2021). Moreover, prisoners who were exposed to a victim awareness procedure were more aware of the harm caused to the victim and demonstrated more favorable attitudes toward participating in a restorative-justice process (Weimann-Saks & Peleg-Koriat, 2020).…”

APF Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology: Robert D. Enright.

“…Rejected!" As a postscript to the above event, after being rejected five times for grants for the proposed forgiveness therapy research with imprisoned people, his research team, 3 decades after experiencing such continual rejection of what seemed to be an important idea, went ahead without funding and did two 6-month randomized experimental and control group clinical trials of forgiveness therapy for men in a maximum-security prison (Yu et al, 2021). They found the strongest mental health improvement for people in a maximum-security correctional institution ever published.…”