Corrections & Rehabilitations

Corrections & Rehabilitations

1. History

   • Pre 1450 - Possession by demons Era. Criminal behaviour was believed to be caused by physical possession of some kind of demon. The Response- Removal of the demon.
   • 1450 to 1750 - Posession by the devil era. Criminal behaviour was believed to be caused by spiritual possession by the devil. Response - Encourage the devil to leave the person.
   • 1750 to 1800 - Biological abnormality and proportional responses era. Criminal behaviour was believed to be caused by some biological cause. Response - Crude biological responses such as ice baths.
   • 1800 to 1850 - Institutionalisation Era. Criminal behaviour was believed to be caused by some uncontrollable cause. Response - Separation and institutionalisation.
   • 1850 to 1900 - Medical Era. Criminal behaviour was believed to be caused by a medical problem. Response - Operations and medication.
   • 1900 to 1930 - Psychoanalytical Era. Criminal behaviour was believed to be caused by early childhood conflicts and unconscious impulses. Response - Intensive individual therapy.
   • 1930 to 1950 - Behavioural Era. Criminal behaviour was believed to be caused by learning. Responses - Behavioural based treatments: aversive therapy, reconditioning.
   • 1950 to 1980 - Humanistic Era - Criminal behaviour was believed to be caused by the need for people to self actualise. Response - Group therapy aimed at impacting empathy, unconditional acceptance, and genuineness.
   • 1980 to Today - Cognitive Era. Criminal behaviour was believed to be caused by faulty thinking styles. Response - Alteration of thinking styles.

2. Alternative Correction Programs

   • Offence based units - These are specialised units within the institution (prison) that house those who have committed a specific crime (e.g. paedophiles).
   • Faith based units - These are specialised units within the institution that house those who have a strong religious or faith-based orientation.
   • Culture based units - These are specialised units that house those who share a strong cultural tie.
   • Whare Oranga Ake - A reintegration unit programe for Maoiri prisoners. Cost $20 million. 2 16 bed units. 5% of maoir represents half the prison population. The other 95% of the population will support their reintegration back into the community.

3. Parole

   • supervised release of an offender before the expiration of their sentence. Parole generally carries with it a number of conditions which, if breached, result in the person being returned to prison to complete their sentence. Recidivism is essentially "reoffending" once a sentence has been completed.
   • Victoria - The conditions are set by the Adult Parole Board. Standard conditions apply to all parolees. Intensive parole conditions apply to most parolees for at least the first 3 months of parole. The intensive parole period aims to ensure that offenders receive the management and supervision required to support them immediately after release – the period of highest risk and vulnerability. In addition to standard and intensive parole conditions, the Board may impose other conditions to meet the individual needs and risk of the parolee. The Board may vary, delete or add conditions at any time during the parole period.
     • Standard conditions - 1) You do not break any law. 2) That you notify a community corrections officer of any change of address or employment within 48 hours of the change. 3) That you do not leave the State of Victoria without the written permission of the regional manager. 4) That you carry out the lawful instructions of community corrections officers. 5) That you are under the supervision of a community corrections officer. 6) That you report as and when directed by the community corrections officer. 7) That you make yourself available for interview by the community corrections officer at such time and place as directed by the community corrections officer.
     • Intensive Parole Conditions - 1) That you report at least twice a week to the supervising community corrections officer. 2) That you be employed or undertake an approved educational or training program. 3) That if you are not employed or in an approved educational or training program you undertake unpaid community work as directed by the regional manager
     • Additional parole conditions - 1) Attendance for assessment for alcohol or drug addiction, or submitting to medical, psychological or psychiatric assessment and treatment. 2) no contact, directly or indirectly, with the victim or certain potential victims. 3) no unsupervised contact with children. 4) a curfew. 5) strict conditions about place of residence and avoidance of certain geographical locations. 6) abstinence from alcohol. 7) requirements to attend personal development programs. 8) random substance testing.
     • Special conditions for sex offenders - 1) associate with certain persons. 2) engage in particular activities. 3) be employed in particular jobs. 4) reside in particular geographical locations. 5) have contact with victims or their family members, even under supervision. 6) have any contact with children or young persons.
     • Breach of parole - If an offender fails to comply with any of their parole conditions, or commits further offences while on parole, this is considered a breach and can, in some circumstances, lead to automatic cancellation and, in other circumstances, the Board decides what action to take.The board may: issue a warning, change the conditions of a parole order, cancel parole. sex offenders and serious violent offenders convicted of a sex or violent offence while on parole will automatically have parole cancelled.
     • Corrections Victoria programs - Lort Smith, Juday Lazarus Transition centre, Reverse Art Truck Inc, Fullham correctional centre, Colac Otway Shire.
   • It refers to both the parole board making the decision on the release and the division of parole supervising the offender in the community.
   • Parole supervision has not been proven effective at reducing new arrests and has been shown to increase technical violations.
   • The introduction of new technologies such as urine testing and electronic monitoring has provided enhanced capacity to detect violations. Therefore the rate of parole violations has increased significantly over the years. Almost 9% of parolees have absconded (location unknown). Parole violators now account for 37% of prisoners entering jail. on average parole violators serve an extra 5 months.

4. Academic Education

   • History - Educational programming in prisons originally focused on religious instruction in order to help achieve spiritual enlightenment. Offenders were thought to need time to reflect on their crimes and repent. The focus has changed to basic literary and communication skills. This grew into opportunities for the GED, (General equivalency diploma), vocational education, life skills programs, college.
   • There is a strong correlation between education level and criminal activity. On average prisoners are less educated and have fewer marketable job skills than the general population. They also have high rates of illiteracy. Approximately half of Americas prison population is illiterate. More than half have not completed high school.
   • Adult basic, secondary and literacy programs - Prison education programs should begin with literacy. 26% of state prisons in America have mandatory literacy programs. In those that don't have mandatory programs, they use incentives such as reduction of sentence, daily speeds, privileges, promotion to better jobs.
   • Life Skills Programs - These have recently been added to many academic programs. e.g. instructions on how to search for a job, balance a check book, budget, control anger, make decsisions, and set goals.
   • Post-secondary programs - College programs began after WW2. Classes originally took place in prison, later some began study release programs. However university students parents complained that they didm not want their kids exposed to criminals and the student inmates took a long time to return back to the prison after class. In 1994 the Crime Bill banned inmate students from receiving the Pell Government grant.
   • ways in which education reduces recidivism - 1) Improvement of cognitive skills. Deficieancies in social cognition, problem solving abilities, and sense of self-efficay are all cognitive deficits associated with criminal activity. 2) An association between Executive Cognitive Function and antisocial behaviour. ECF involves planning, initiation, and regulation of goal directed behaviour. Includes also attention control, strategic goal planning, abstract reasoning, cognitive flexibility, hypothesis generation, and working memory. 3) Increase in maturity and moral development. i.e. instilling ideas about right and wrong. 4) Increased skills and employability.
   • Te critical variable is not program participation, but the extent of involvement.

5. in 2000, nearly 1600 people left state and federal prson a day in the US. Sentencing policy in the US has changed in 3 ways. 1) growth in imprisonment rates. the fragmentation of sentencing philosophy and the weakening of parole.

   • There has been a threefold increase in the number of people on parole since 1980. The average length of prison stay has also increased over time, therefore there has been a slight lag between intake levels and release levels.
   • A change from indeterminate sentencing where all states provided judges with broad ranges of possible sentences, authorised the release of prisoners by parole boards, supervised prisoners after release and embraced rehabilitation as the goal of corrections. Legislation stating mandatory minimum sentences has been enacted in all states and the thee strikes law in 24 states. 40 states have truth in sentencing laws requiring violent offenders serve at least 50% of their sentence in prison.

6. Reentering prisoners

   • The parole population is mostly male, the median age is 34. the median education level is grade 11. The percentage of offenders who had been arrested for drugs charges has significantly increased in the past 20 yeas. , however those who had been arrested for violent crimes has reduced. Those released on parole serve an average 27 months.
   • High rates of return and removal of offenders further destabilises disadvantages neighbourhoods. They disrupt a communities social network, affect family formation, reduce informal control of children and lessens ties among residents.
   • A period of incarceration often has positive health outcomes for inmates, due to adequate, food, living arrangements and health care. 80% of the prison population report some drug or alcohol use. The return of a former addict to his neighbourhood places him at high risk of relapse because old haunts act as triggers to his brain mechanisms that heighten cravings.
   • 16% of inmates report a mental condition however they fail to access the minimal mental health treatment available because they fear institutionalisation, deny they are ill or mistrust the mental health system.
   • Most prisoners are parents, 1/2 of men 2/3 of women. 7% of African American children currently have a parent in prison. When fathers are imprisoned, 90% of children remain with their mothers. However when mothers are imprisoned 1/3 of children stay with their fathers.
   • 2/3 of prisoners had a job just prior to their incarceration. however released offenders have a very low employment rate. incarceration makes ex inmates unattractive for entry level jobsand undermines social networks that after necessary to obtain employment. this is particularly pronounced for inmates over 30.
   • African American males have a 29% chance of being imprisoned at least once in their life. 6 times higher than for a white male.