Inmate attitudes towards computerized clinical interventions

摘要

Clinicians often cite probable client resistance to computerized clinical interventions as one reason for their own resistance to computerization. The results of an attitudinal survey completed by 72 inmates who had been involved in both computerized assessment and a Computerized Adjunct to Psychotherapy (CAP) program are reported. The inmates expressed very positive attitudes regarding computerized clinical interventions. An interesting aspect of this study is that the participants were asked to make comparisons between the CAP program and human therapists and between computer and paper-and-pencil assessment formats. One of the more surprising findings is that the inmates were almost equally divided in their preference for CAP versus human-conducted therapy sessions. The CAP program at Millbrook Correctional Center, in existence since 1986, is succinctly described.