NCJ Number
43700
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 23 Issue: 4 Dated: (OCTOBER 1977) Pages: 427-434
Date Published
1977
Length
8 pages
Annotation
FALLACIES IN PERVASIVE BELIEFS UNDERLYING ARGUMENTS FOR THE ABANDONMENT OF THE REHABILITATION MODEL IN CORRECTIONS ARE POINTED OUT.
Abstract
THE FOUR PREMISES ARE AS FOLLOWS: (1) OFFENDERS ARE MENTALLY ILL; (2) REHABILITATION IS APPROPRIATE ONLY FOR THE MENTALLY ILL PRISONER; (3) TREATMENT IN PRISONS DOES NOT WORK, AND MOST FIRST OFFENDERS ARE DESTINED TO RETURN TO PRISON; AND (4) A PERSON BECOMES A CRIMINAL BY BEING DEFINED AS A CRIMINAL. THE VIEW OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE CALIFORNIA MEDICAL FACILITY THAT CRIMINAL ACTS ARE RARELY PRODUCTS OR DIRECT SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS IS CITED. THE FUTILITY OF ATTEMPTING TO CLASSIFY HUMAN BEHAVIOR AS EXCLUSIVELY 'SICK' OR 'BAD' IS NOTED IN REFERENCE TO THE IDEA THAT MENTALLY ILL PRISONERS REQUIRE TREATMENT WHILE HEALTHY PRISONERS REQUIRE ONLY CUSTODY. IT IS OBSERVED THAT MANY REVIEWS OF REHABILITATION STUDIES ARE INCONCLUSIVE AND THAT TREATMENT EXAMPLES CITED IN SUCH STUDIES OFTEN ARE POOR. IT IS FURTHER NOTED THAT THE STATEMENTS MADE BY SOME CRITICS OF REHABILITATION ARE FACTUALLY INACCURATE AND THAT THERE ARE STUDIES DOCUMENTING THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF PRISON TREATMENT. THE MAJOR SHORTCOMING OF THE LABELING THEORY IS SAID TO BE ITS OVERSTATEMENT, I.E., THE SUGGESTION THAT ONCE A PERSON IS LABELED A CRIMINAL, NOTHING HE CAN DO WILL ALTER HIS STATUS.