Today, I would like to discuss evidence-based treatment programs in prison and community corrections. With this in mind, when discussing treatment programs within the prison system it’s very critical. In fact, it has been a very important part of the prison life since initiation. Seiter (2012) explains the importance of giving the inmates an opportunity to participate in programs to help them once they are released back into the community. However, when it comes to custody and treatment in prisons they actually work hand in hand. The programs that are provided in prison help in developing self-control and encourage good behavior in inmates. For example, initiating these programs help inmates reduce idleness, teach them how to live and …show more content…
Glaze (2012) explains the BOP strategy has grown and changed tremendously within the prison system and communities. For example, when it comes to staff members they have been able to maintain their skills and knowledge in treatment programming by monitoring and incorporating improvements in the treatment and correctional programs. For instance, programs such as literature, research and effective evidence-based practices. Not to mention, the drug abuse treatment can be incorporated into criminal justices settings in a variety of ways such as: (1) treatment as a condition of probation (2) drug courts that blend judicial monitoring and sanctions with treatment (3) treatment in prison followed by community-based treatment after discharge (4) treatment under parole or probation …show more content…
This program was implemented to treat substance abuse problems. This program was developed by Nate Azrin and George Hunt in 1973. This program focused on helping people within the community to learn how to reduce the power of their addictions and enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Unfortunately, this program is time-limited. For example, you get sixteen sessions which is decided upon at the beginning of therapy or within early stages of therapy. Then, you have the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) which is a part of CRA which “works through family member.” It’s designed to increase the odds of the substance user who refuses treatment. Adding to this, this program also allows the substance abuser to improve the lives of concerned family
The complex issues of dealing with offenders in the criminal justice system has been a point of ongoing controversy, particularly in the arena of sentencing. In one camp there are those who believe offenders should be punished to the full extent of the law, while others advocate a more rehabilitative approach. The balancing act of max punishment for crimes committed, and rehabilitating the offender for reintegration into society has produced varying philosophies. With the emanation of drug-induced crimes over the past few decades, the concept of drug treatment courts has emerged. The premise of these courts is to offer a “treatment based alternative to prison,” which consist of intensive treatment services, random drug testing, incentives
When envisioning a prison, one often conceptualizes a grisly scene of hardened rapists and murderers wandering aimlessly down the darkened halls of Alcatraz, as opposed to a pleasant facility catering to the needs of troubled souls. Prisons have long been a source of punishment for inmates in America and the debate continues as to whether or not an overhaul of the US prison system should occur. Such an overhaul would readjust the focuses of prison to rehabilitation and incarceration of inmates instead of the current focuses of punishment and incarceration. Altering the goal of the entire state and federal prison system for the purpose of rehabilitation is an unrealistic objective, however. Rehabilitation should not be the main purpose of prison because there are outlying factors that negatively affect the success of rehabilitation programs and such programs would be too costly for prisons currently struggling to accommodate additional inmate needs.
Prison contemplative programs are also of great help to both prison inmates and staff. These contemplative programs include yoga, meditation and prayers for contemplation. Through such programs, both prison staff and inmates benefit a lot especially when it comes to relieving stress. In most countries and especially America, majority of the prisoners are dealers of illicit drugs. It is logical that most drug addicts engage in criminal activities. Therefore, drug treatment programs in jails and prisons are a useful tool for rehabilitation and reformation of inmates into better people who can be productive once their jail term ends. However studies show that currently in America, only a small proportion of inmates requesting for drug treatment actually receive it (Listverse,
Prisons and correctional facilities in the United States have changed from rehabilitating people to housing inmates and creating breeding grounds for more violence. Many local, state, and federal prisons and correctional facilities are becoming more and more overcrowded each year. If the Department of Corrections (DOC) wants to stop having repeat offenders and decrease the volume of inmates entering the criminal justice system, current regulations and programs need to undergo alteration. Actions pushed by attorneys and judges, in conjunction current prison life (including solitary confinement), have intertwined to result in mass incarceration. However, prisoner reentry programs haven’t fully impacted positively to help the inmate assimilate back into society. These alterations can help save the Department of Corrections (DOC) money, decrease the inmate population, and most of all, help rehabilitate them. After inmates are charged with a crime, they go through the judicial system (Due Process) and meet with the prosecutor to discuss sentencing.
In the essay "Prison "Reform" in America," Roger T. Pray points out the much attention that has been devoted to research to help prevent crimes. Showing criminals the errors of their ways not by brutal punishment, but by locking them up in the attempt to reform them. Robert Pray, who is a prison psychologist, is currently a researcher with the Utah Dept. of Corrections. He has seen what has become of our prison system and easily shows us that there is really no such thing as "Prison Reform"
Works Cited Federal Bureau of Prisons : http://www.bop.gov/ Inciardi, Dr. James A., A Corrections-Based Continuum of Effective Drug Abuse Treatment. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Available: http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles/contdrug.txt. Butterfield, Fox. The "Prison: Where the Money Is."
According to De Leon 2000 this treatment model recommends hiring recovering addicts and ex-felons (Cook, J. (2008). This has been challenge for the TC program, because of the policies and procedues in the prison institutions. They trained inmates with good behavior to take place of the ex-felons and recovering addicts. The TC program has four phases with the phases running from orientation where they learn the program rules. The second phase is where they learn how to cope with everyday problems.
The “Tough on Crime” and “War on Drugs” policies of the 1970s – 1980s have caused an over populated prison system where incarceration is policy and assistance for prevention was placed on the back burner. As of 2005, a little fewer than 2,000 prisoners are being released every day. These individuals have not gone through treatment or been properly assisted in reentering society. This has caused individuals to reenter the prison system after only a year of being release and this problem will not go away, but will get worst if current thinking does not change. This change must be bigger than putting in place some under funded programs that do not provide support. As the current cost of incarceration is around $30,000 a year per inmate, change to the system/procedure must prevent recidivism and the current problem of over-crowed prisons.
The research studies that have been discussed in this paper have some limitations that the researchers have encountered while obtaining the results of the effectiveness of these prison-based treatment programs. Fortunately however, these limitations did not prove to have a significant impact on the overall result of prison-based programs.
“The history of correctional thought and practice has been marked by enthusiasm for new approaches, disillusionment with these approaches, and then substitution of yet other tactics”(Clear 59). During the mid 1900s, many changes came about for the system of corrections in America. Once a new idea goes sour, a new one replaces it. Prisons shifted their focus from the punishment of offenders to the rehabilitation of offenders, then to the reentry into society, and back to incarceration. As times and the needs of the criminal justice system changed, new prison models were organized in hopes of lowering the crime rates in America. The three major models of prisons that were developed were the medical, model, the community model, and the crime control model.
Serving time is not a waste of time. While an inmate is incarcerated, he or she has every opportunity to better themselves and prepare for their impending re-entry into society. Jails and prisons alike offer rehabilitative programs. These programs allow every inmate an equal opportunity to return to the outside world as a better and more productive member of society. Educational, vocational training, work release, drug-abuse, self-help, health care, religious, and finally recreational programs are just a few of the hundreds of correctional programs that inmates can participate in. Due to these programs, positive changes within an inmates life, as well as drastic changes in our society, are entirely within reach.
Throughout history, the prison systems have had different ways of handling prisoners. Some of the early prisons believed that the public should observe the prisoner’s punishments. Later on, prisons moved to be a place for hard labor and emphasized being able to correct someone. Due to increase crime, the prison system started focusing on trying to control crime (Esperian 319-20). Currently, the United States’ prison system faces high recidivism rates, overcrowding, and rising budgets. It is a cycle that continues to make very little improvement. There is a missing link that needs to be addressed. This link is imprisonment and the lack of education(Kaiser18). Prisons should provide correctional education to help these people change their lives after they are released. Implementing correctional education in prisons can reduce recidivism, overcrowding, and is a cost-efficient investment.
All over America, crime is on the rise. Every day, every minute, and even every second someone will commit a crime. Now, I invite you to consider that a crime is taking place as you read this paper. "The fraction of the population in the State and Federal prison has increased in every single year for the last 34 years and the rate for imprisonment today is now five times higher than in 1972"(Russell, 2009). Considering that rate along crime is a serious act. These crimes range from robbery, rape, kidnapping, identity theft, abuse, trafficking, assault, and murder. Crime is a major social problem in the United States. While the correctional system was designed to protect society from offenders it also serves two specific functions. First it can serve as a tool for punishing the offender. This involves making the offender pay for his/her crime while serving time in a correctional facility. On the other hand it can serve as a place to rehabilitate the offender as preparation to be successful as they renter society. The U.S correctional system is a quite controversial subject that leads to questions such as how does our correctional system punish offenders? How does our correctional system rehabilitate offenders? Which method is more effective in reducing crime punishment or rehabilitation? Our correctional system has several ways to punish and rehabilitate offenders.
Many people idealized the relevancy of living in a civilized world, where those who break the law are reprimanded in a less traditional sense of punishment in today’s standard. Instead of just doing hard time, programs and services could and should be provided to reform and rehabilitate prisoner. Despite standard beliefs, many individuals in prison are not harden criminals and violent offenders, many of these people suffer mental illness and substance abuse Hoke
According to available statistics, the number of people who are incarcerated in state and federal prisons in the United States of America increases each year. Estimation indicates a 2.5 percent increase in the number of prisoners in USA from last year; it suggests a number of 2245000 inmates in all prisons in USA (Reuter). Such a rapid growth in the number of prisoners has several consequences. More prisons are built and more resources are earmarked for this objective. Also, more prisoners return to their family and community after serving their time. The expected return of the former inmates to their family and community may pose significant challenge. Family members are often intimidated by the responsibility associated with ensuring the prisoner`s return to a normal life after incarceration. Facing this challenge, they turn to community based programs for help. In order to serve the specific need of this population, the non-profit organization should rely on valuable researched-base data in order to develop specific strategies that target the population. Examples of these strategies would include the assessment of the needs and resources available in the community, the thoughtful consideration of the interventions to be implemented, and the incorporation of a system that can analyze the effectiveness of the program.