Compare and contrast three forms of correctional treatment, including a discussion of the effectiveness of each treatment.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Almost every prison facility uses some mode of treatment in either group or individual form for inmates that focuses on therapy, educational, or vocational programs. Prison inmates typically suffer from a variety of cognitive and psychosocial deficits such as poor emotional control, social skills, and interpersonal problem solving. Anger and lack of self-control have been linked to violent criminal behavior both in the institution and upon release. Anger management programs are a form of group therapy that is most often offered in prison settings and are often combined with other group techniques such as drug treatment and sex offender treatment. Faith-based programs are another form of correctional treatment. Research into these programs has shown that inmates involved in religious programs and education do better following release than those in comparison groups. Despite the premise, these programs are less concerned with the study of religious texts and instead are more involved in secular activities such as helping clients gain skills or training, building support networks, and creating supportive relationships among staff, volunteers, and clients. Faith-based programs seem to work better with those inmates who enter such programs with feelings of self-worth and confidence. A third form of treatment is HIV/AIDS treatment, which is important because those who share needles and males who engage in same-sex relations are at high risk of contracting HIV, and these are two behaviors common in prison. Correctional administrators have found it difficult to arrive at effective policies confronting AIDS-educational programs for inmates are often inadequate because administrators are reluctant to give them information on safe sex and the proper cleaning of drug paraphernalia. Unfortunately, treating substance-abusing offenders has proven difficult and programs have yielded mixed results.