Probation Client Needs - Assignment Example

? Probation Client Needs First Probation Client Needs A large majority of the nonviolent offenders in US prisons usually find themselves in jail due to minor drug possession and trafficking offences. Many of these offenders also battle with substance abuse problems that contribute significantly to their criminal activities and offences. Over the past few years, there has been continued realization that many drug offenders need treatment and not just incarceration and that the criminalization of substance abuse has only led to a ballooning of the numbers of prisoners in the US jail system, resulting in the largest and fastest growing prison population in the world. In many states, special probation/parole programs have been initiated to deal with the growing number of substance abuse criminality and many of these have reported commendable results in reducing recidivism, reducing prison populations, and producing reformed criminal justice clients. Introduction Parole and probation clients who go into substance abuse programs have shown improvement in more ways than those who do not go through those programs or those who only undergo custodial sentences. The major improvement has been in the area of personal rehabilitation. Criminal behavior brought on by substance abuse can only be reduced if the root cause of the behavior, the substance abuse, is dealt with as only punishing the offender results in him or her returning to the substance abuse on completion of the sentence. Furthermore if the other usually connected causes of the behavior and substance abuse, such as lack of a job, lack of job skills, lack of housing and a community where drugs are easily available are not tackled at the same time, the offender actually ends up building tolerance and making the substance abuse problem even more serious. All over the US programs that are addressing these root cause of drug-related criminal behavior are producing better results in the rehabilitation of inmates. 1. One program that has been created to deal with substance abuse as part of a parole/probation activity isForever Free, program implemented at the California Institution for Women, a female-only State prison in Riverside County, California, since 1991. This program’s aims are to reduce the drug use and drug dependency of female inmates on parole and probation. It is a holistic program that also includes skills training as well as family and other types of counseling as well as recreational and social activities (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (b), 2013). Another similar program is also in use in California for the men and this one also aims at reducing the recidivism rates among the male inhabitants that have been paroled from Californian correctional facilities (Study evaluates substance abuse in probation, parole admissions (a), 2011). This has also had a positive influence in reducing the rates of return to custody of male inmates especially those on probation and released early on parole (Hinkle, 2008). Another program is the Dallas County Judicial Treatment Center implemented in Dallas Texas, a residential substance abuse program specifically aimed at those on probation. It aims to reduce the prison overcrowding in the Texas correctional system. It not only includes modern therapeutic substance abuse treatments utilizing the 12-step method but also includes life-skills training, drug education as well as counseling (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Substance Abuse Treatment for Adults in the Criminal Justice System, 2005). These programs have all in addition to reducing the costs of running prisons and alleviating the overcrowding problem in these facilities, also resulted in better results for the offenders, corrections system and the communities in which they are located. 2. These programs have all got as a major strength the fact they have taken a more holistic view of the problems of offenders with substance abuse histories. They also look at other issues that have impeded the return to normal society of many clients of the criminal justice system – the need for training and skills to be able to find employment after their incarceration; the need for family as well as group counseling that looks in a deeper way at the root causes of their substance abuse issues as well as investigating ways in which these can be combated; the reduction of the numbers of offenders that find themselves back in prison after a year or after two years. These are all major strengths as they more or less guarantee a smoother re-entry into society and give the offenders and opportunity to return as viable members of their communities. The successes have been in the reduction of recidivism which in some cases is as high as 50% and in individual gains in the self-esteem and well-being of many of the offenders who complete their treatment programs. In some of them the weaknesses have always been unclear guidelines on eligibility, making it difficult for most of the deserving offenders to get the opportunity to enter into these programs. Some failure has also been in the re-entry into communities for those participating in residential programs as they go back to the same communities and the same community setups that got them into the substance abuse problems in the first place. 3. A new program that would be useful would be one that in the very real sense mimics the society in which the offenders will find themselves in once they complete their programs. The program would be one that has within it an opportunity for the offenders to interact with members of the opposite sex and even family members in a way that prepares them in a more pro-active way, for life after the program. The program would thus either be a daytime or outpatient program that allows the program participants to adjust to life in the society that allows them to test properly the tools that they are equipped with to deal with their situations in real life. It would also, like these other programs, be of a more holistic nature that looks at all the requirements of the participants after their parole or their probationary sentence. This includes employment opportunities, getting skills that would enable them to be employable in the current job market, continuing treatment options even at the end of their sentences. 4. The strengths of the other programs that this new program would use would be in the fact that it would be more holistic in approach, and with the intention of rehabilitation rather than just punishing of offenders (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Substance Abuse Treatment for Adults in the Criminal Justice System, 2005). Another strength that would be useful to the new program would be adding other components such as housing, job placement and additional counseling options (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (a), 2011). Often the counseling that is received in the residential treatment programs is only a start and there is need for a post-parole or a post-probation part of the treatment which includes any additional counseling, including counseling of family members of the offenders so that there is reduced chances of the clients relapsing or falling back into wrong behaviors. 5. The program would be successful because it would look at the post-parole treatment requirements of the offenders. One of the problems with substance abuse programs is that participants are often prone to relapses depending on their circumstances. Thus the treatments offered should not be seen as one off panacea but rather be seen as the stat of a continuum of care that should continue, usually for a long time. It should include ways and methods of dealing with relapses and having these being caught and treated before they result in repeat criminal behavior. Another way of ensuring that the program is successful would be to include the community in the design and implementation of the program. This would ensure that the communities recognize their role in the treatment options and their role in ensuring that the circumstances that encourage offenders to repeat offences do not recur again. Some of the programs have been implemented just because they were successful elsewhere without adequate buy-in and input from the local communities. Involving the communities in the design would thus ensure better success of the program. Conclusion In conclusion, a program that looks at the needs of the offenders in a more holistic and realistic way stands a better chance of success. Studies have also shown that offender rehabilitation programs that not only include the right kind of treatment for those with substance abuse issues, coupled with the most appropriate community based programs are the most successful when it comes to enabling the criminal justice system impart both punishment and rehabilitation to those convicted of crimes. The continued investigation of and investing in non-custodial sentences is a major step towards much needed reforms in the criminal justice system. These programs have shown that they do not necessarily mean “going soft” on crime but offer appropriate and evidence-based ways of correcting some of the excesses of the criminal justice system that have resulted in the burgeoning prison population and the concomitant rise in costs of maintaining and accommodating all these non-violent offenders. The positive impacts, such as reducing the stigma of serving a prison sentence as well as lowering the rate of recidivism will not only reduce the costs and overcrowding in the prisons but will also show that a more humane treatment of offenders does end up benefiting the offenders, communities and the entire criminal justice system. References Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Substance Abuse Treatment for Adults in the Criminal Justice System. (2005). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 44.) 10 Treatment for Offenders under Community Supervision. Retrieved July 14, 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64141/ Hinkle, G. (2008). Substance Abuse Programs Reduce Recidivism. Retrieved July 14, 2013, from http://www.corrections.com/news/article/22508-substance-abuse-programs-reduce-recidivism Study evaluates substance abuse in probation, parole admissions. (2011). Addiction Professional. Retrieved July 14, 2013, from http://www.addictionpro.com/news-item/study-evaluates-substance-abuse-probation-parole-admissions Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (a). (2011). The TEDS Report: Characteristics of Probation and Parole Admissions Aged 18 or Older. Rockville, MD.Retrieved July 14, 2013, fromhttp://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k11/231/231Parole2k11Web.pdf Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (b). (2013). Forever Free. Retrieved July 14, 2013, from http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/ViewIntervention.aspx?id=118 Read More