Why are treatment programs in institutional settings not as effective as those in community-based settings?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Most treatment programs in the community, as opposed to jails or prisons, tend to
have more face-to-face contact between treatment providers and participants. This is
true for a number of reasons. First, the offender has more options in making contact
with helping professionals, and helping professionals have more latitude in aiding offenders since they are able to maintain contact at scheduled and unscheduled points
of the day or night. The typical administrative limitations associated with the institutional
environment are not present in community-based settings. Though ethical constraints
and professional decorum always apply, treatment providers can typically be available
in a more flexible manner when they are in the community and when the offender has
suitable mobility to access assistance at different times of the day or night. While it
might intuitively seem that inmates in prison would have more contact with treatment
providers, this is usually not the case. In fact, they tend to have very limited contact that
is highly structured, being limited by the physical facilities and security. Further, prison
treatment staff tend to be overloaded with demands from heavy caseloads and are
hampered by the restrictions associated with the custodial environment. In addition, the
security culture that is attributed to prison institutions often undermines any true
treatment orientation. Thus, the prison environment is less than ideal. Add to this the
fact that the inmate subculture tends to look down on those who disclose to or trust
others (such as therapists), and it becomes clear that the environment in prisons works
in opposition to treatment strategies. These same restrictions and negative perceptions
of the treatment process do not exist at the same magnitude, if at all, within community
programs. Because of this, community-based treatment programs usually have better
results than those within a secure facility.
In addition, if the offender is not located within a criminogenic region of the community,
he or she is less likely to have routine contact with other offenders. In prison facilities,
inmates are in constant contact with other criminals and this tends to contaminate the
efforts of treatment staff. Thus, existence within the community can aid in separating the
offender from other problematic friends or criminal associates, improving the
effectiveness of treatment programs. While separation between the offender and old
associates is not guaranteed, community supervision officers can aid in observing
contacts that the offender makes and providing the appropriate structure that eliminates
much of the opportunity for the further commission of crime.