Close Support Unit - An Intermediate Treatment Provision for Those At Risk of Removal from the Community (From Alternatives to Custody, P 39-54, 1986, John Pointing, ed. - See NCJ-103976)

• NCJ Number: 103978
• Author(s): P Murray
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 16 pages
• Sale Source: Basil Blackwell, Inc.
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper describes and evaluates the close support unit (CSU) in Great Britain, which balances care and control for serious juvenile offenders who would otherwise be imprisoned.

Abstract

The CSU is one branch of the Medway Centre. The Medway Centre is managed by a senior probation officer. Other CSU staff are two supervisors and the 'unit mother.' CSU staff emphasize the family roles of control and care for residents. The program is a mixture of supervised work, both academic and physical, and recreational activities. Control is exercised within the context of CSU activities, without using cells and other restraints characteristic of imprisonment. Staff interviewed about the advantages and disadvantages of CSU indicate that the intensive supervision and continuous care offer advantages over traditional probationary supervision. Some disadvantages identified by staff are clients' dependency on the unit and the program's rigidity. Interviews with 10 clients residing in the CSU in September 1982 generally found that clients preferred CSU control to imprisonment. Rules were viewed as fair and part of the rehabilitative effort to nuture self-control. This research provides some evidence that clients learn to conform to rules and staff expectations, to trust others, and to set positive goals for their lives. Whether such benefits remain over time awaits longitudinal research. 1 note.