NCJ Number
109770
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 49 Issue: 7 Dated: (December 1987) Pages: 112,114,116,119
Date Published
1987
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Recent advances in assessing offender needs have improved the abilities involved in classifying inmates to identify these groups objectively for purposes of assignment and risk management, but corrections professionals need continually to learn more about offenders and program impacts to determine the use of program resources.
Abstract
Offenders who require similar levels of security can be vastly different in other important ways. Conversely, offenders of very different risk levels may share similar traits or service needs. Thus, each offender has a unique profile. Assessing health, mental health status, and victimization potential is a high priority for most classification programs. Educational and vocational concerns are also prominent. Less traditional factors being assessed include substance abuse, relationship skills, and family interactions. The medical, curative model for needs assessment and treatment is attractive but, by itself, usually inadequate. The role of the correctional environment in influencing offender behavior is becoming increasingly understood. Needs assessment also faces several types of barriers: limits of the person-centered approach, lack of meaningful programs to which to assign offenders, and program instability due to frequent inmate transfers.