Enhancing Correctional and Rehabilitation Results in Prision - Research Paper Example

In hindsight, in the 1970s, it was viewed that inmates who undergo rehabilitation are being left off easy and advocating such rehabilitations were seen as naivety. It is interesting to perceive that as society has been evolving through the years the propensity for criminal activities have also increased. But through the years, society changed its perception that indeed prisons must prepare the inmates in their re-entry to the community and not just serve as establishments to lock them up and serve their due time.

Omar (2001) stated that “it is the general consensus that the fundamental objective of corrections is rehabilitation, whether such institutions are prisons, juvenile centers and other types of correctional institutions”. He added that the treatment process is directed towards the eventual return to the community of the inmates as law abiding and socially productive citizens. It is therefore the ultimate goal of correction facilities to reduce recidivism. Gaes et al. (1998) establishes that education, vocational training, and prison labor programs have decent effects on not only reducing criminal recidivism but also increasing positive behavior in prison.

Although it was concluded that sex offender interventions proved to have been the most problematic. Treatments and rehabilitation practices should be adjusted and fitted to specific offender deficits. It is also worth noting that juvenile interventions yield better and stronger results than adult rehabilitations. Gaes et al. (1998) focused on four domains of adult intervention; 1) cognitive skills training, 2) intensive in-prison drug treatment, 3) educational instruction, vocational, and industrial training, and 4) sex-offender treatment.

Based on meta-analyses, qualitative analyses, and reviews of component elements of successful programs, it was established that the most success in terms of criminal recidivism was achieved through emphasis on cognitive and skill building techniques. This approach is able to correct impulsivity by teaching consequential thinking, fatalistic thinking by practicing assessment of the role their thinking has affected their actions, antisocial behavior by teaching them skills for them to be prosocial, and social adjustments by teaching self-control techniques (Gaes et al., 1998) Aside from behavioral deficiencies, it is also an established fact that individuals under the influence of illegal drugs have greater tendency to commit crimes, and Gaes et al. (1998) notes that the level of crime is dramatically amplified by the use of drugs.

It is of then a necessity in correctional facilities to incorporate drug rehabilitations for the inmates so as for them not to regress back to using such substances once they are released to society. While this approach is successful in reducing drug relapse of the criminals for up to 18months upon release, proper monitoring and probationary status must also be implemented to avoid recidivism. Gaes et al. (1998) also cites that prison education and work programs improve the inmates’ institutional behavior and promote prosocial activities after the release.

By increasing the inmates’ functional literacy, the chances of having a lawful job opportunities also increases. Such an approach also promotes the maturity of the individuals, equipping them with better decision-making skills that are vital for them to keep them away from crime after release. Gaes et al. (199