Emotional Intelligence interventions lead to zero reoffending in prisoners
Mobile Team Challenge (MTC), a leading provider of transformational learning programs that help teams, organisations, and communities unleash their potential, successfully used insights from the EBW Emotional Intelligence assessment tools to prevent reoffending in prisoners.
MTC ran a successful pilot that focused on 15 prisoners who were chosen to participate in a special programme to develop their emotional intelligence during their 6 months of resettlement. Read on to learn what made this pilot programme, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, different from previous interventions.
MTC Facilitators use the EBW assessments with their unique experiential learning solution to create behavioral and attitudinal change that lasts. MTC is preferred Learning Provider for 52 RAF locations (5,000 Military personnel trained to date) and by 38 NHS Foundation Trusts (4,000 NHS personnel trained to date) and other organisations such as Vodafone, MasterFoods, AoN, IBM, McAfee, B&Q, Warner Brothers, Land Rover, Jaguar, Honda, NASA, DVLA, FedEx, Sun Microsystems.
MTC were asked to design a series of experiential learning workshops to help prisoners with their rehabilitation as part of their 6 month resettlement programmes.
The main outcome from this pilot programme was realised 3 years after release - none of the now ex-prisoners have re-offended (statistics that have been verified by the Home Office and Detention Centre).
Using Emotional Intelligence interventions to measurably increase empathy in prisoners
Research had previously suggested that women prisoners may have lower levels of empathy than people who are not part of the prison system. This led to MTC organise a sample of prisoners to complete the EBW Emotional Intelligence assessment to gauge their empathy levels.
The results from this activity supported previous research, that and showed that many prisoners in the sample had significantly low empathy scores (2 or 3 out of 10). However, it is important to note that this study only looked at a small sample of women prisoners, and more research will be required to confirm these findings. Additionally, it is possible that the lower levels of empathy in women prisoners are due to the trauma and abuse that they have experienced in their lives, rather than to any inherent lack of empathy.
MTC used the EBW Business Emotional Intelligence assessment and development report to conduct accurate ‘personal profiling’ of all attendees’ Emotional Intelligence levels at the beginning of the resettlement period.
Barry Bailey, Executive Director of Mobile Team Challenge said:
“The EBW Development profiling was critical in the ‘measurement’ of the development of the prisoners. As the first profiling showed all prisoners had a VERY low empathy score. The prisoners underwent a series of MTC experiential learning interventions which, specifically, targeted the low empathy scores.
Although the consistency of these low empathy scores worried me initially – considering that the women prisoners were servicing a sentence due to GBH, bullying and physical attacks etc – once I had analysed the results and considered their reason for being arrested – it became clear that they thought ‘nothing’ of harming other individuals (for which they had been im-prisoned) due to their low empathy / respect / compassion for other individuals.”
After the initial Emotional Intelligence profiling of all prisoners using the EBW assessment, a series of MTC experiential games and activities were designed in order to increase their empathy within this cohort of prisoners. These activities delivered, twice a month, strongly focused on building respect and empathy during their 6 month resettlement training prior to their release.
At the end of the 6 month period of bi-monthly interventions involving MTC activities – MTC repeated the EBW Emotional Intelligence assessment profiling for all prisoners, and found that their individual scores for EMPATHY had increased significantly - the delegates’ Empathy scores had risen from 2 or 3 out of 10, to 7’s and 8’s out of 10. There was a 55% increase in Empathy across the whole cohort.
Why Mobile Team Challenge chose the EBW assessment for this project
A reliable and valid assessment, that has been rigorously researched over the last 20 years.
Easy to use - The EBW assessment was designed with DEI focus and is relatively short, taking about 20 minutes to complete.
Provides actionable feedback on a person's business emotional intelligence that enabled MTC focus their unique learning solution to maximise their impact and boost individuals’ emotional intelligence.
Relevant to the workplace. The EBW assessment is designed specifically for the workplace and to help user develop skills that are important for success in the workplace.
Outstanding results - zero reoffending cases 3 years following Emotional Intelligence Interventions
Upon release, all attendees to the programme were monitored. Three years after the prisoners’ release, the results were astounding - NONE of the cohort of 15 prisoners had re-offended.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) confirmed to MTC that this result was “unprecedented” because the usual re-offending rate for all prisoners is “around 55%”.
Barry Bailey, Executive Director of Mobile Team Challenge said:
“The MoJ wanted to know what we had done to prevent this group from re-offending. Once we explained the content of our interventions i.e. the EBW Emotional Intelligence profiling and MTC Experiential Learning Activities, the MoJ asked if the same content and interventions would help in preventing vulnerable people and groups from offending in the first place.
As a consequence, MTC is now working with the MoJ and the Home Office on a number of Community Projects around the UK where we are seeing amazing results in the reduction of ASBO’s, Behaviours and Attitudes of Young People (pre-offenders) and those tempted by Drug Abuse, County Lines, Knife and Hate Crimes with Schools, Colleges, Universities and Communities. MTC are also active within 50 Prisons and Offender Units across the UK”
How can the EBW Business EQ assessment help your organisation?
This success story shows that EBW Business Emotional Intelligence can be used with great success in even the most challenging and unexpected of circumstances, some of which may be ‘outside’ of typical professional or business uses - EBW Business EQ is as effective and applicable for social or civic purposes as it is for corporate cultures.
As this success story demonstrates Business Emotional Intelligence is particularly effective for any situation where it is essential that individuals or groups develop much better self-awareness and empathy skills.
Inspired to start using Business Emotional Intelligence in your organisation? Find out more about the Business EQ Assessment here and get in touch today to start your journey. We’d love to hear from you!
We also encourage you to find out more about the fantastic work of Mobile Team Challenge & their unique learning solutions at their website: https://mtceurope.co.uk/
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