Pro-social modelling is increasingly becoming recognised as a key skill in the supervision of offenders. This paper defines pro-social modelling discusses the research support for its use and describes the way it can be implemented in a criminal justice setting It goes on to discuss the relevance of worker empathy and the perceived legitimacy of the worker. The strengths and weaknesses of pro-social modelling are identified and some of the criticisms of the model are discussed. Finally the extent to which pro-social modelling can be taught is considered.
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