Risk and Need Principles - Research Paper Example

Risk and Need Principles The risk principle states that all programs have to be designed in a manner which puts into consideration the risk level of the offenders who are put into them. According to this principle, the higher risk offenders have to be put under stricter programming for long periods of time to ensure that there is a reduction in the risk of their repeating their offences (James, Eisen & Subramanian, 2012). In this principle, it is also stated that if the same treatment is to be applied to low risk offenders, it might increase the possibility of these individuals getting into recidivism. Plenty of research that has been conducted in previous years has shown a lot of support for this principle with most of these showing that those programs that adhered to the risk principle more often than not managed to reduce the risk of recidivism among offenders. In addition, those that violated this principle reported an increase in recidivism at ever growing rates, hence the need to apply the risk principle in a more effective manner. The need principle, on the other hand, works towards the identification of the needs that are supposed to be targeted through correctional intervention as a means of reducing recidivism among offenders (James, Eisen & Subramanian, 2012). Researches based on this principle have consistently shown that there is a relationship between criminal behavior and antisocial attitudes, antisocial personalities, bad family relationships, and many others. These researches have also come to identify the fact that if the latter attitudes and situations are tackled effectively, it is most likely that the incidents of recidivism become reduced. In fact, it has been shown that once these situations were targeted effectively through appropriate programs, the possibility of reducing offender recidivism was quite high. The result of the need principle approach is that it is more socially based and ensures that the offenders become reintegrated into the society with the much needed support to ensure that they are not tempted to return to crime. 1. There has been a lot of debate over the years concerning which offenders the probation officers should spend more time with and this is still an ongoing issue. One would suggest that the probation officers should spend more time with high risk than low risk offenders because it is the former who need the most attention to ensure that they do not get involved in instances of recidivism (Schwalbe & Maschi, 2009). These officers have to pay a lot of attention to the daily routines of high risk offenders, especially in all matters concerning paperwork and drug tests. In previous years, it has become the routine for these officers to be left to their own devices concerning how to handle high risk offenders and this has been detrimental to their performance of their tasks. The fact that officers have to deal with these offenders without the much needed advice on how to handle them can be said to be among the reasons behind the development of increased recidivism. The result has been that more high risk offenders have ended up being sent back to prison despite their having had the opportunity to bring change their lives and turn it back into the correct path. Thus, it is important for the probation officers to recognize that they have not only to accept the responsibility of controlling the high risk offenders but also take an active part in their rehabilitation. In fact, there is the need to take a more subtle approach with high risk offenders because these individuals are hardly ever affected by the threat of revocation or with the application of punitive sanctions. It is therefore important for probation officers to recognize the fact that turning these individuals towards the direction of human services helps them get a positive attitude towards the society within which they live and this enables them to choose to change their lives. Thus, probation officers who spend more time with high risk offenders tend to have more success with them because they ensure that the risk of recidivism among these offenders is significantly reduced. 2. The need principle states that all offenders have to be put under correctional treatment which focuses on those needs that are linked to behavior which produces crime. When dealing with both high and low risk offenders, it is necessary to ensure that all of these individuals are helped to psychologically get back into the society (Warren, 2010). In addition it is essential for these individuals to be counselled concerning how to get over the hurdles which might encourage them to get into criminal activities. The need principle considers that high risk offenders have to be given more priority because of the fact that they are the ones who are more likely to get involved in crime once they are put on probation. These individuals have to be provided with counselling in a manner which is subtle to ensure that they do not resist the attempts of the probation officers to help them. According to the need principle, low risk offenders also have to be provided with some attention and this attention has to be given in a manner which ensures that they are able to get back into the society and participate in activities which give them the opportunity to stay away from crime. High risk offenders, because of the possibility of their returning to crime, have to be provided with the support that they need, such as getting over bad familial relationships and antisocial behavior that they may have, and start their lives afresh. The main causes of their getting involved in criminal activities have to be addressed and solutions for them found so that these individuals can have the opportunity to turn their lives around for the better. In this way, the strengths of these individuals, especially those that are high risk offenders, will come to be realized and this will more likely than not encourage them to stay away from offences which might land them in prison for breaking the conditions of their probations. 3. There are a number of tools which can be used by probation officers to determine the risk levels of offenders and these are related to the backgrounds of these individuals. When one uses the need principle for this objective, the probation officer will have to consider the entire background of the offender to determine whether there is likelihood that he will repeat his criminal offences. If the background study reveals that the individual is a repeat offender, for example, then such an individual should be categorized as a high risk offender (Auerhahn, 2007). In this way, the probation officer should work towards initiating this individual into a program which is designed to ensure that he receives counselling as well as the opportunity to mend his ways. If a low risk offender is recognized, this gives the probation officer the opportunity to ensure that the offender is initiated into a program which requires minimal supervision while at the same time discouraging him from repeating a past offense. Therefore, the most effective tool when attempting the risk level of offenders is through the study of their records because it is these records or the data related to them that determine the policy which will be adopted for their rehabilitation. Therefore, it is important for all this information to be made available to probation officers as a means of ensuring that they are more effective in their analysis of offenders as well as being able to provide them with the much needed support to reduce instances of recidivism. References Auerhahn, K. (2007). Do you know who your probationers are? Using simulation modeling to estimate the composition of California’s felony probation population, 1980-2000. Justice Quarterly : JQ, 24(1), 28-47. James, J., Eisen, L., & Subramanian, R. (2012). A VIEW FROM THE STATES: EVIDENCE-BASED PUBLIC SAFETY LEGISLATION. Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, 102(3), 821-849. Schwalbe, C. S., & Maschi, T. (2009). Investigating probation strategies with juvenile offenders: The influence of officers' attitudes and youth characteristics. Law and Human Behavior, 33(5), 357-67. Warren, R. K. (2010). Probation reform in California: Senate bill 678. Federal Sentencing Reporter, 22(3), 186-193. Read More