Public SafetyHuman capitalPositive

Becoming a Man (BAM) — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for At-Risk Youth

University of Chicago Crime Lab · Chicago, IL, USA · 2009

Summary

Becoming a Man achieved something few interventions in criminal justice have managed: a large, replicated, durable reduction in violent crime among high-risk youth — not by teaching them facts about violence or drug risks, but by training a different kind of cognition. The program's theory is rooted in behavioral economics and psychology: violent altercations among young men often stem not from calculated decisions but from automatic threat responses — a misread situation, a perceived disrespect, an immediate reaction that becomes irreversible. BAM teaches what cognitive scientists call 'System 2' override: recognize the automatic response, pause, evaluate the situation differently, then choose a response. The RCT evidence showed that this is teachable, that the teaching transfers to real-world behavior, and that the effects persist. The cost-effectiveness is striking: at roughly $2,100 per participant, BAM produces reductions in arrest, incarceration, and associated costs that dwarf the intervention cost by an order of magnitude.

Research question

"Does cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) aimed at automatic behavior patterns — helping at-risk youth recognize and interrupt impulsive responses in high-stakes situations — reduce violent crime arrests and improve schooling outcomes?"

Methodology

Intervention

BAM (Becoming a Man) is a school-based program providing in-school group CBT to adolescent males at elevated violence risk. Students meet weekly in groups of 8–15 with a counselor, practicing 'slow down' skills: recognizing automatic responses to perceived threat, cognitive reappraisal, emotional regulation, and consequential thinking. The program does not focus on drug resistance or traditional life-skills curricula; it specifically targets the automatic processing patterns that generate violent altercations.

Assignment

Randomized controlled trial; two separate RCTs conducted 2009–2010 and 2013–2015; students randomized at the individual level within schools; Heller et al. (2017) reports pooled analysis across both RCTs

Sample size

Approximately 2,740 participants across both RCTs; predominantly Black male students in 6th–10th grade in Chicago public schools

Primary outcome

Violent crime arrests (during program year and one year after); total arrests; school attendance; graduation rates

Effect estimate

Violent crime arrests: −44% to −50% during program year; total arrests: −30% to −35%; school engagement: significantly improved; graduation rates: +14% to +19% in follow-up. Effects on violence persisted for at least one year post-program. No significant effect on test scores.

Decision

BAM was rapidly scaled citywide in Chicago; Chicago Public Schools and the City of Chicago expanded the program; BAM provider (Youth Guidance) operates in 20+ cities; the University of Chicago Crime Lab has replicated findings in additional cohorts; a working paper found effects survive a 3-year post-program follow-up; Cook County Jail launched a similar CBT program for incarcerated adults, also with significant results; BAM is considered among the most cost-effective crime-reduction interventions ever evaluated (~$2,100 per participant, saving an estimated $30,000+ in criminal justice costs per participant)

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Result

Positive

Evidence strength

Strong

Randomized controlled trial with large sample.

Replication status

Partially replicated

Institution

University of Chicago Crime Lab

Location

Chicago, IL, USA

Year

2009

Policy area

Public Safety

Mechanism

Human capital