From Recreational to Clinical Approaches: The Use of the Cuatro Tribus Game-Based Workshop as a Complementary Tool for the Reintegration Treatment of Juvenile Offenders

Abstract

Throughout December 2015 and July 2016 four Cuatro Tribus (‘Four Tribes’ - strategy board game) workshops were conducted in the Juvenile Detention Center in Puebla Mexico (CIEPA). Each workshop consisted of seven sessions and a final tournament session. The initial goal was to offer a new source of entertainment and cognitive development to interned juvenile offenders. The pilot workshop generated the impression that a systematic gathering of information from various observers could be integrated into a high definition criminological profile. A certified Cuatro Tribus’ coach facilitated three more workshops to 32 interned juveniles. Each participant’s behavior during the game was recorded by interdisciplinary specialists from the internment center, the Sentence and Measures Bureau and the General Office for Reintegration Centers. These records provided reliable information to make in situ interventions, evaluate the current lines of action for each intern and design new lines in favor of a more precise social reintegration. The materials used were four Cuatro Tribus board games and printed observation guides. At the end of the research, the program was considered to be a valid complementary tool for pedagogic and psychological reintegration treatment and continues to be applied at the Center. The participants’ results of the workshop were filed to be used as an additional element for the jury in charge of reviewing the sentences. Ethical considerations and possible observation biases require an insightful review.