EEG-SMR

Composite Biofeedback Conditioning and Dangerous Offenders: III

seventy seven offenders, selected as subject to deep brain complex seizures, were treated with varying amount of composite EEG-SMR and GSR-SCARS biofeedback conditioning procedure. subjects were selected through successive screens, culminating in criminal conduct. The lack of a recognizable prodrome that 3 subjects might use to cue voluntary self-regulation made it seem necessary to abandon the usual method of continuous analog biofeedback. An operant conditioning method was employed, which provided discontinuous and contingent reinforcing feedback during all occurrences of EEG sensorymotor rhythm and for successive 1K ohms increases in skin resistance. the mean duration of post-release follow-up was 18 months. criminal recidivism rates were shown to decrease roughly in proportion to the number of treatment sessions received. recividism rate varied from 65% for those receiving essentially no biofeedback treatment to 20% for those receiving more than 33 half-hour sessions. the results were interpreted as holding out hope for the identification and treatment modification of one subset of dangerous offenders.