MICHAEL S. WIRTZ / Staff Photographer
Innovation is straining a parole system in Phila. already short of resources, says parole officers' union official Louise Carpino.
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Program helps identify likely violent parolees
Berk said he's not worried. "This is not like the movie Minority Report . . . as if we are all fated to do one thing or another," he said, referring to the Tom Cruise film in which police make arrests based on psychics who see crimes committed in the future.
The Philadelphia Probation and Parole Department researchers spoke enthusiastically about plans in the fall to experiment with special classes for the highest-risk offenders, guiding parolees to change their thinking and so their actions through "cognitive behavior therapy."
Berk said he's been asked to design similar systems for Washington and other major cities. Whether it helps cut crime in Philadelphia will be closely watched.
Contact staff writer Faye Flam
at 215-854-4977 or fflam@phillynews.com.
