NCJ Number
103980
Date Published
1986
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the development, operation, and assessment by staff and clients of the Southhamptom Day Centre (England).
Abstract
The center opened in September 1980 after a probation office working party determined that the office's caseload was composed of a high percentage of offenders with overlapping problems of alcoholism, social isolation, and unemployment, which made them difficult to supervise by single officers. A day care center with facilities for one-on-one counseling, group sessions, and recreational activities was determined by the working party to be the most appropriate service and supervisory structure for the probationers. Open 3.5 days a week, the center gives highest priority to group work with socially isolated offenders, the painting and decoration group, and the wives' group. Fifteen clients interviewed in June and July 1980 and 25 interviewed in May and June 1982 indicated appreciation for the help offered by officers at the center but complained that services were not sufficiently practical to help them deal with significant problems such as unemployment and insufficient income. Officers participating in center activities believe it offers care, companionship, and practical help, but time constraints have prevented officers from developing adequate resources and activities to cope with client needs. Center staff have also failed to identify a core group of clients who could make fuller use of the facilities.