Question

how would you describe community corrections in foreign countries ? what is the role of community corrections in rehabilitation and reintegration into society ? in what ways can a human service professional assist in the rehabilitation process ?

Answer 1

The prison systems in foreign countries can be quite disturbing to say the least. Take Mexico for example, the prison and jail cells in certain areas of Mexico have no running water and prisoners will go to go to the bathroom in either a bucket or hole in the middle of the cell. The United States is the only country that will impose a life without the possibility of parole on juvenile offenders. For example, in Europe the maximum sentence for a juvenile is typically less than twenty-five years for any crime.

For instance, individuals with relatively higher likelihood of recidivism should be accorded the greatest treatment dosages and highly intensive intervention programs so as to minimize reoffending. Additionally, members of the society who’re believed to be somewhat susceptible to becoming victims of criminal behavior should be apportioned limited community resources. Lovins et.al (2007) assert that providing low-risk lawbreakers with high intensity correctional programs can result in greater probability of re-offending. While it’s quite evident that the risk principle can be utilized to minimize incidences of recidivism, it works best in community intervention that involve high risk offenders. However, this principle is relatively ineffective when applied on a mixed group; a group of both high risk and low risk delinquents in one correctional facility. The efficiency of this principle is also based on the fact that dosage or intensity of the intervention depends on the offense or rather the risk involved, such as sexual, violence, and domestic misdemeanors.

Community corrections has gone through a long and complicated process of development. Throughout this process, the specific purpose of community corrections has not always been clear. Indeed, many recognized experts, authors, and researchers offer competing views on the purpose of community corrections, resulting in much confusion and uncertainty related to the effectiveness of community-based sanctions. The importance of a clear definition as well as a clear rationale for the use of community corrections sanctions has been illustrated. Further, this chapter has traced the historical developments and philosophical precursors to both probation and parole. These developments help to make sense of the various challenges associated with community corrections sanctions and also provide guidance for their future use.There is tremendous variety from state to state in regard to the community supervision process. The implementation of probation and parole comes in many shapes, forms, and methods, creating a rich yet challenging process of offender supervision in communities throughout the United States.

Community corrections is a term that brings many different thoughts to mind. The term itself can shift in meaning and perception from person to person. For instance, some people may view community corrections as consisting of only probation and parole, while others might see it as being more related to community service and other such programs. Still others tend to equate community corrections with being “easy” on crime. Certainly, the first two examples are (objectively speaking) actual tools used within the field of community corrections. However, the third example demonstrates that perceptions may negatively impact the notion of community corrections, even when the term is considered on a mere conceptual level.

This is important because the perceptions that people have of community corrections will, in fact, have a direct impact on how effective community-based programs are likely to be. In some respects, this harkens back to the “power of perception” phenomenon, a common point that is emphasized by psychologists and laypersons alike. This point is also consistent with the often touted “power of positive thinking” in that a positive outcome is more likely to be seen among community corrections agencies when the community holds a positive image of such forms of supervision. This is not to be confused with the idea that we are to sell an image of community corrections that is false or that we should ignore the drawbacks to such initiatives. Nor is this to say that we, as community members, should highlight the positive aspects of such programs. Quite the contrary, we do want to maintain an evidencebased practice in our community corrections programs. However, these programs are not ever likely to achieve their optimal outcome unless the community is involved with such programs, and yet the community is not likely to be involved unless some form of positive gain is seen to exist within that same community. Thus, a positive community perception is actually quite relevant and important for evidence-based programs.

Re-integration: The term refers to the process of re-inclusion of the discharged released offenders into the community. The emphasis is mainly on the following aspects:  The offender and the change in his or her inclinations and behaviour, and  The community and how effectively rehabilitation is supported by the community in the re-integration process. Any form of correctional treatment must be linked to the offender’s integration. Offenders must be prepared for new roles and accepted

participation in community life is central to reintegration. The following are important characteristics of reintegration: Close liaison between the correctional centre or community corrections office and the community is encouraged,

Social reform in correctional centres through bridging the gap between in institutional and community life is emphasized,

The offender is involved in the decision – making process,

Behavioural changes of the offender are noted, Correctional officials are involved in the rehabilitation process, and

The community should be involved and should participate in offender’s re-integration.

The rehabilitation case worker is a human services professional who specializes in helping people with disabilities acquire or maintain employment. By assessing the clients various strengths, work skills, capabilities and interests the rehabilitation case worker can assist the client in achieving their employment goals. Once an assessment has been made additional services can be rendered such as counseling, guidance, training and independent living services. Combining these programs gives the client the greatest potential to achieve and maintain their employment goals.

Some of the services a rehabilitation case worker might provide include:

• Work skill assessment
• Counseling and guidance
• Assistive technology acquisition and training
• Job training services
• Job placement services
• Independent living services

The job of a human service worker is to assist individuals, families, communities, and organizations in overcoming obstacles and performing at their optimum level. Although the profession is multidisciplinary, each human service professional has certain common responsibilities. Whether you become a social work assistant or an outreach worker, there are some duties that remain common to any human service professional. Core responsibilities of human services professionals include:

• Assisting individuals, families, and communities in overcoming their problems and helping them improve their quality of life
• Counseling for mental, physical, and emotional problems
• Organizing support groups to prevent different forms of abuse
• Working individually or with organizations in providing mental and physical support to people who are unable to care for themselves
• Working with organizations, social groups, and rehabilitation facilities to make their services accessible to the people in need
• Conflict resolution
• Providing educational, employment, and legal support to their clients
• Assisting immigrants in settling down in a new place
• Taking protective legal action as and when needed.