<p>This study is an evaluation of the rehabilitative effects of the Cognitive Skills program, an accredited correctional treatment program offered by the Swedish probation service since 1995. Whereas the program has previously been studied in Swedish prison settings, this is the first Swedish study in a non-custodial setting. All 117 male probationer program participants 1995-2000 were closely matched to 349 controls in a survival analysis of long-term recidivism in the sample. Program completers did not show lower relative risk of relapse than the control group, consisting of probationers who did not enter the program. A survival analysis of a violent offender subsample was inconclusive due to sample size but suggests a potential program effect on this type of offender.</p>

This study is an evaluation of the rehabilitative effects of the Cognitive Skills program, an accredited correctional treatment program offered by the Swedish probation service since 1995. Whereas the program has previously been studied in Swedish prison settings, this is the first Swedish study in a non-custodial setting. All 117 male probationer program participants 1995-2000 were closely matched to 349 controls in a survival analysis of long-term recidivism in the sample. Program completers did not show lower relative risk of relapse than the control group, consisting of probationers who did not enter the program. A survival analysis of a violent offender subsample was inconclusive due to sample size but suggests a potential program effect on this type of offender.