NCJ Number
70964
Date Published
Unknown
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The Community Adjustment Training Program of North Carolina is described; program need, objectives, structure, sources of referral, sessions content, use of volunteers, and projections are addressed.
Abstract
The program, as it now exists with respect to the courts and to the probation and parole division, is a community-based group training and/or counseling program designed to serve primarily as a diversion from active sentencing and secondarily as a complement to probation and parole supervision activities. It is designed to address the onset of criminal behavior through treatment methods which will result in positive behavioral changes in the offender. Program objectives are accomplished through the utilization of group dynamics. Both group and individual training emphasize the importance of communication and attitude in coping with life situations. Community resources, self-awareness exercises, communications exercises, and counseling sessions are implemented. Attendence is mandatory for each of the 12 program sessions. The courts and the division of adult probation and parole refer youth and adult offenders, both male and female. The program is not designed to address the special problems of the handicapped or of habitual drug and alcohol abusers. For more serious offenses, the program can be used as part of a suspended sentence or as a condition of probation. For minor offenses, charges may be dismissed following successful program completion. Session topics include the relationship between attitude and behavior, social concerns, behavioral alternatives, responsibility, and self-image. The program presently (1980) uses both community resources, volunteers, and student interns. The project has thus far gained a great deal of support from the courts and its officers.