WEEK 2 CPSS400

Running head: Background of Correctional Programs 1

CORRECTIONAL PROGRAMS 5

Background of Correctional Programs

Chalyne Arvie

CPSS/400

Jennifer Friedrich

21JAN19

Background of Correctional Programs

1. What is the concept behind correctional programs? Why do correctional programs exist? What goal(s) do most programs have in common? What is the relationship between institutional and community-based programs?

The correctional program involves a kind of plan to which submission of criminal offenders is conducted. In context, the program has both educational training and supervision which are given with purposes of correcting the criminal offenders. Conceptually, the designing of correctional program tends to aim at addressing various factors that have been linked up with criminal behavior. The programs exist to equip the participant offenders with applied skills and strategies that aid in preventing future crimes.

The most common goal of these programs is to provide to criminal offenders with supervision and educational training for purposes of correcting their criminal behavior (Bayer, et al. 2009). Further, they both tend to increase the availability, effectiveness and quality of community-based programs and educational programs in preventing criminal offenders from committing crimes again in their future.

Significantly, the transition plan requires for efficient collaborations between both external and internal providers. For that reason, both institutional programs often are linked to community-based programs to provide social service providers with advanced education in serving specific communities within a particular environment.

2. What theories or methodologies have helped shape correctional programs? What do these theories or methodologies state? How do these theories or methodologies differ between institutional and community-based programs?

One of the most significant theories that have contributed to shaping correctional programs is labeling theory. The approach was developed in 1960 by Howard Becker who was an interactionist theorist then. It has helped in shaping people’s sense of self lies in their collective interpretation of the social definition. Based on the theory, a deviant labeled behavior individual should be punished and made to recognize themselves as deviance (Akers, 2013). As such, it creates types of stigmas or in other words social labels which are then applied to criminally deviant as well as communicative deviants.

Correctional theories involve the use of sanctions in either positive or negative form and they stand to be a fundamental to the entire criminal theories which tends to come along with major goals in social control as well as deviant behavior deterrence. On the contrary, the most common goal of community and educational programs is to provide the criminal offenders with supervision and educational training to correct their criminal behavior. Additional, correctional theories are based on individuals within their communities’ social life while community and educational programs are based on correcting behavior of individuals who are held up in prisons. They both also tend to increase availability, effectiveness and quality of community-based programs and educational programs in preventing criminal offenders from committing crimes again in their future.

3. How have correctional programs evolved? What are some of the specific changes that have occurred in the last 15 years?

Correctional programs have a long history especially in the United States where there used to be two offenders on probation in each person who served in prison then. The long history of these programs has yielded to numerous evidence-based practices in various communities by minimizing recidivism (Lowenkamp et al. 2006). Besides, they are considering being less costly when compared to incarceration. Correctional programs started way back in 1700s England where judges used to afford the discretion to provide a judicial reprieve. In essence, this was considered a way of convicting crime offenders while at the same time allowed them in enjoying citizenship freedoms (Hylton, 2015). In 1841, there was a temperance movement that acted in a full impact on alcoholism, intoxication and criminalizing. Recently, some countries like the United States have most significant incarcerated population worldwide.

References

Lowenkamp, C. T., Latessa, E. J., & Holsinger, A. M. (2006). The risk principle in action: What have we learned from 13,676 offenders and 97 correctional programs?. Crime & Delinquency, 52(1), 77-93.

Bayer, P., Hjalmarsson, R., & Pozen, D. (2009). Building criminal capital behind bars: Peer effects in juvenile corrections. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 124(1), 105-147.

Akers, R. L. (2013). Criminological theories: Introduction and evaluation. Routledge.

Hylton, J. H. (2015). Rhetoric and reality: A critical appraisal of community correctional programs. Crime & Delinquency, 28(3), 341-373.