NCJ Number
192653
Date Published
2001
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This chapter describes the community resources available to aid in the case management of offenders.
Abstract
Corrections is a community problem and professional criminal justice workers are considered to be in partnership with the various community-supported agencies in a rehabilitative endeavor. The mental health center is a resource with which the criminal justice worker is probably most familiar. They have diagnostic and treatment centers; provide competency testing, pre- and post-sentencing evaluations, and parole testing treatment; and provide specialized individual, group, and family counseling. Substance abuse centers include hospitals, Alcoholics Anonymous, methadone centers, halfway houses, and residential centers specifically designed for offenders. Community high schools offer General Equivalency Diploma (GED) preparation classes, as well as some vocational training. The Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, a State and federally funded program, provides vocational testing and on-the-job training and counseling. The local welfare department provides general relief and food stamps, aid to the disabled, medical assistance, aid to the aged, and offers family counseling. A community resource information speakers’ program can provide offenders and criminal justice workers with much-needed information about community resources. The program can be run periodically to accommodate new offenders. Another valuable resource is the desire of many individuals in the community to be useful and helpful. These people can be incorporated into the correctional system as volunteers. The volunteer frees the professional worker from dealing with a number of less problematic cases so that they can increase meaningful contact time with the remainder of the caseload. Volunteers need to be screened, trained, and matched with offenders. Their performance should be monitored by the professional worker to make sure they are holding offenders responsible and not being manipulated by offenders. 24 references, 3 figures