Do Prisons Work Essay

This watch will examine the fixiveness of menstruum prison house house interposition broadcasts in Australia, mod Zealand, South East Asia, join States of America in rehabilitating or reforming an individual and coinciding recidivism rates upon a prisoners release. prison shew discussion programs for ro use of goods and services wrongdoers in occidental Australia, New South Wales and New Zealand atomic come up 18 examined and recidivism rates compargond. handling programs for offenders with dose and inebriant issues and the various strategies within the flagitious justice administration much(prenominal) as diversion, rearing and drug chat up programs are examined and divergences explained. reclamation programs such(prenominal) as genteelness, life skills, employment and cognitive doingsal manipulation are explained and query discussed. Conclusions will be drawn outlining programs with the highest level of recidivism both in Hesperian Australia and global ly. The nothing works mantra (Martinson) 1974, is seen to be refuted and handling is seen to be successful when it is matched to the criminogenic inevitably of the offender (MacKenzie, 2006).Future recommendations are made in regards to the need for punitory staff to assess each offender as an individual with diametric needs, and to therefore implement programs that will give the offender the best channel of reform or rehabilitation (MacKenzie, 2006). There are many treatment and rehabilitation programs before long utilise in department of corrections around the knowledge domain aimed at reducing recidivism (MacKenzie, 2006). A heuristic salute classifies various strategies into incarceration, treatment programs and rehabilitation (McKenzie, 2006).These interventions represent different strategies for controlling crime in the comm unit of measurementy, and sire some theoretical rationale for expecting a decline in crime, disrespect being different in the mechanism anticip ated to produce the reduction (MacKenzie, 2006). Incarceration deprives the prisoner of opportunities to commit crime, usually through detention in prison or in some states capital punishment (McKenzie, 2006). Rehabilitation is base on the premise that slew can change, and if sound judgment is to establish to rehabilitation it must be capable of measuring change (MacKenzie, 2006).The still 99 attempt assessment measure is an International Tool that is accreditedly used to assess recidivism levels of sex offenders (Hoy & adenylic acid Bright, 2008). Rehabilitation orientated treatment programs include education, cognitive skills and employment (MacKenzie, 2006). correctional educational programs are seen to drive optimistic results in junior-gradeering levels of recidivism in prisoners (Stevens & Ward, 2007). Kaki Bukit Prison School based in Singapore is seen to be successful in reducing recidivism by aiming to creative a learning environment based on Peter Senges book T he Fifth Discipline (Senge, 1990). post of the discipline involves inmates engaging in the The Reflective Thinking Process (Oh, 2007), an education computer programme which aims to assist prisoners in reflecting on past destructive behaviour and to encourage appropriate restitution. The school is sustained by a multidisciplinary team up of teachers, prison officers and counsellors who work together to help students in their studies and in their pilgrimage of change to become responsible, thinking citizens (Tam, 2007). For inmates who complete their studies at Kubit Bukit Centre and were released in 2000 and 2001, the 2 year recidivism rate was 24% (Oh, 2007).Acacia, western sandwich Australias entirely private run prison, is operated by Serco and aims to bring service to life (Needham, 2009). Storybook Dads is an face of this and aims to rehabilitate prisoners, break the cycle of reoffending and c unload the gap between a child and his vex (Needham, 2009). The program opens u p a broad unravel of educational opportunities ranging from writing their own stories to learning how to use a information processing system (Needham, 2009). The main objective of the program is to empower fathers and for children to feel loved, which then improves the lives of the prisoners children (Needham, 2009).Prisoners are given the opportunity to record their childs favourite bedtime story on a CD with sound effects, private message and CD cover (Needham, 2009). Current research indicates that fathers who necessitate been engrossed tend to withdraw from life outside the prison and subsequently lose contact completely with their children (Needham, 2009). Statistics show that six out of ten children whose father is a current or ex- prisoner become involved in criminal activities and consequently find themselves in similar situations to their fathers in prison (Needham, 2009).The Storybook Dads program runs in lxxx prisons in the United Kingdom and maintains family conne ctions and reduces reoffending (Needham, 2009). The National Fatherhood Initiative runs a similar programme called the Incarcerated Fathers Program which operates at Branchville punitory Centre in Indiana (Gosnell, 2006). It is similar to Storybook Dads programme in helping prisoners reunite with their children and families (Gosnell, 2006).One get monitored 186 men for trey years after release from prison with only five travel (Gosnell, 2006). Three men returned for small offences whilst two came back on a long term basis indicating low levels of recidivism, when in comparison lxx percent of men released from prison normally return within an comely of one to triple years (Gosnell, 2006). Prison based treatment programs offered in Western Australia for sex offenders are the energise Offender Program, Indigenous Sex Offender and Intellectually Disabled Offender (Macgregor, 2008).Community based victuals programs are offered for each type of offender, the current program for d isabled people being the Safe Care Program (Macgregor, 2008). In Australia, most treatment programs for sex offenders are based on cognitive behavioural therapy aimed to arse the criminogenic needs or risk factors of offenders (Macgregor, 2008). If these needs are altered the receives of changing the criminal behaviour are higher in the range of 10-30% (Blud, 1999). The programs are seen to be effective in that they work to alter many of the cognitive deficits displayed by offenders (Blud, 1999).They target the known risk factors for versed reoffending which are cognitive distortions, empathy deficits and wide ranging self regulation (Hoy & Bright, 2008). A Western Australia study in 2002 measured recidivism rates of 2165 sex offenders referred to the treatment unit from 1987 to 1999 (Greenberg, 2002). The study compared inured offenders with non-treated offenders, with no meaning(a) findings on effects of treatment on sexual recidivism (Greenberg, 2002).Systematic differen ces between the non-treated and treated group in the Western Australian study, such as indigenous status, risk category, and length of declare may perk up impaired comparisons of groups (Lievore, 2004). Inconsistencies across the data, methodological limits may have limited the study from being able to identify slight significant treatment outcomes, and to identify sources (Greenberg, 2002). At present a prison based treatment program designed for adult sex offenders is offered in any Territory and State Australia, despite many having yet to be evaluated (Macgregor, 2008).An evaluation conducted in New South Wales on the Custody Based intense treatment program for high risk offenders (Hoy & Bright, 2008) compared recidivism rates of 117 treated offenders with those predicted by the STATIC 99 risk assessment measure, an internationally used tool that assesses the recidivism risk of sex offenders (Hoy & Bright, 2008). STATIC 99 risk probabilities are based on a large samp le of sex offenders in the United Kingdom and Canada (Hanson & Thornton, 2000). The study establish that 8. 5% of sex offenders treated at the Custody Based Intensive Treatment programs committed further sexual offences in 3. 5 years, compared with a predicted sexual recidivism of 26% (Hoy & Bright, 2008).An evaluation was conducted on the Te Piriti Special Treatment Program for child sex offenders in New Zealand (Nathan, Wilson & Hillman, 2003). Te Piriti incorporates cognitive behavioural therapy methods in combination with Tikanga Maori, holistic practices derived from world take up and a desire to understand the universe (Nathan, 2008). This study compared recidivism rates of Te Piriti graduates with a control group used in the Kia Marama study (Nathan, 2008). In comparison with the non-treated groups sexual recidivism rate of 21%, a small 5. 7% of offenders who completed the programme at Te Piriti reoffended sexually (Nathan, 2008).Maori sexual offenders were also fo und to have a domineering resolution to the program (Nathan, 2008). Only 4. 41% of Maori offenders reoffended sexually after receiving treatment at Te Piriti (Nathan) 2003 compared with 13. 58% of Maori Kia Marama graduates (New Zealand Corrections, 2003). These results are give birthive of the argument that programs are more than(prenominal) effective in reducing sexual recidivism when the design and implementation are attuned to the cultural background of the offenders (Macgregor, 2008).Currently, there are various strategies within the criminal justice system that respond to offenders with drug and alcohol issues (Makkai & Payne, 2003). At one end of the spectrum is the diversion by police of first offenders or low level offenders into education or treatment programs (Makkai & Payne, 2003). At the other end, is the diversion of repeat drug dependent offenders facing duress into intensifier drug court programs (Makkai & Payne, 2003). do drugs courts aim to distrac t both men and women offenders (Freeman, Karski & Doak, 2000).The elements of the New South Wales drug court program are treatment social swan and the raisement of life story skills regular reports to the court and regular urine testing (Freeman et al. , 2000). During the twelve month program, participants are expected to stabilise their lives by not using drugs to bid health issues, and to cease criminal activity (Freeman et al. ,). Ideally, they consolidate their situation and develop life and job skills, and financially reintegrate fully, becoming financially autarkic (Freeman et al. ,).Analysis of the data indicates a high success rate, with only bakers dozen percent of the participants having committed an offence on completion of the program, indicating a low level of recidivism (Freeman et al. ,). A promising approach to combating illicit drug use has been implemented at the Metropolitan Womens Correctional Centre in Victoria (Peachy, 1999). Carniche program includes core courses in drug awareness, drug education and Alcoholics Anonymous, which provides a group therapy environment and a twelve step program based on abstinence and group support (Peachy, 1999).The program runs for three to four months, after which the prisoners are reintegrated into the mainstream prison population (Peachy, 1999). The program involves a maximum of ten prisoners who live in a residential unit separate from the main prison population who participate in intensive drug group and individual counselling (Peachy, 2000). The program has not been evaluated for its effect on offender recidivism and its success may depend on the support available to prisoners upon release (Peachy, 2000).A refreshed program for women offenders, titled Reconnections, completed its pilot phase at Bandyup Womens prison in kinfolk 2009 (Porter, 2009). The program was based on therapeutic interventions to assist women in feeling at past trauma and abuse in addressing their offending behaviour (Porter, 2009). Although the program was scheduled to commence in early 2010, funding problems prevented the jump of the program (Porter, 2009). Despite the program failing to commence prison doors at Bandyup continue to open to volunteers and visitors, a move imprisoned women value (Department of restorative function, 2005).The Western Australian Department of Justice allows over 3,000 volunteers who provide support for victims of crime, prisoners and juvenile detainees (Department of Corrective Services, 2005). Western Australias drug rehabilitation is seen to be a part of the whole sentencing process both in prison and the community for a prisoners release on naked as a jaybirds (Cox, 2007). There is a continuum drug users who go through the Perth Drug dallys treatment programs are less likely to reoffend than those sent to prison (Cox, 2007).Recidivism rates for offenders using the courts drug treatment programs were 17 percent lower than those for offenders sent to prison ( Cox, 2007). The study assessed 250 drug users, dealt with the Drug Court who were charged with offences such as burglary, theft or burlesque between 2000 and 2003 (Cox, 2007). In comparison to Western Australia one in every(prenominal) 100 adults is locked up in America and there punitive corrections system do not follow a Western approach, incorporating resources such as Drug Courts to help prevent re-offending (McClatchy, 2008).Kansas has been seen to rethink incarceration policies, with a focus on reserving prison for the worst criminals who pose a reliable danger to society (McClatchy, 2008). Kansas only drug court, in Lyon County, has slashed offender rearrest rates almost by half. (McClatchy, 2008). In California, a study found that in a two-year period, drug courts cost $14 trillion but saved tax-payers more than $43 million over the be of sending offenders to prison (McCatchy,2008).Kansas Department of Corrections has had success with a new parole re-entry program, incl uding a pilot project in Wichita that gives parolees more support and helps them to keep on the straight and narrow (McClatchy, 2008). Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz has seen the new philosophy dramatically cut re-offender rates state-wide and reduced recidivism (McCatchy, 2008). Spectrum Addiction Services offers residential treatment, outpatient, detox and domestic violence service for substance abusers and Correctional Recovery Academies in Massachusetts, Georgia and Rhode Island (Astell, 1995).The treatment strategy supported by Spectrum is based on behaviour and based on self-esteem, participants feelings, and self-revelation much as the 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous (Astell, 1995). Spectrum views the agency to fight recidivism is behavioural, teaching people the skills to stay straight (Astell, 1995). A situational approach to drug abuse may be another avenue to seek when examining the Vietnam War (Astell, 1995). Many American soldiers who were involved with h eroin use in South East Asia did not bring the habit home, indicating that some drug abuse is situational (Astell, 1995).In the mid 1970s a pessimistic assessment of rehabilitation programs by Robert Martinson asserted that nothing works in correctional treatment (Cullen & Gendreau, 2000). However recent reassessment using methods of meta-analysis has found that offender treatment programs do reduce problem behaviour (Cullen & Gendreau, 2000). Effective programs are those which recognise the importance of individual differences and the measurement of these factors when assessing what programs and interventions would be most fit for each offender (Harland, 1996).Privatisation of prisons is seen to be a positive solution to improving treatment programs and reducing associated recidivism in developing more of a restorative framework to treatment programs (Corporate Responsibility, 2007). This involves emphasising the importance of good relationships between prisoners and staff, the need to recognise the impact of cultural differences when implementing programmes and matching an officer of suitable culture and temperament to best assist the needs of the prisoner (Corporate Responsibility, 2007). nurture study is indicated as being required for WA Sex Offenders with trivial research being available for this group of offenders when compared to other states in WA (Cullen & Gendreau, 2000). Systematic differences between the non-treated and treated group in the Western Australian study, such as indigenous status, risk category, and length of objurgate may have impaired comparisons of groups (Lievore, 2004). Inconsistencies across the data, methodological limits may have also limited the study from being able to identify less significant treatment outcomes, and to identify sources (Greenberg , 2002).A recommendation for improved research design is suggested in the implementation of a similar tool as the Static 99 in Australia which is currently only availab le internationally in measuring sexual recidivism (Mackenzie, 2006). Another finding from reviews of the studies is the large difference of amount of research completed for drug-offenders in comparison with other offenders, such as women prisoners and sex offenders which is currently limited (MacKenzie, 2006).Given the current meet about the increasing amount of drug offenders entering the correction system it is apparent as to why there is uch a large number of evaluations of programs being completed for these offenders (MacKenzie, 2006). Although the role for corrections appears to be a current challenge, it is hoped that with further research, funding , availability of treatment programmes and education of prison officers in addressing individual and cultural differences, that the offender be given the greatest chance for rehabilitation, reform and consequently a life of freedom outside the prison bars (MacKenzie, 2006).