NCJ Number
49118
Date Published
1975
Length
5 pages
Annotation
EXISTING ROLES OF RESEARCH IN CLASSIFICATION AND TREATMENT OF OFFENDERS, WHICH ARE IN EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT, ARE IDENTIFIED AND DISCUSSED, AND NEW ROLES FOR RESEARCH IN THIS AREA ARE DESCRIBED.
Abstract
A SURVEY OF THE LITERATURE CONTAINING OVER 300 ENTRIES ON OFFENDER CLASSIFICATION SHOWS THE FOLLOWING DISCERNIBLE ROLES OF EXISTING RESEARCH IN CLASSIFICATION AND TREATMENT: (1) DESCRIPTIVE STUDIES OF INMATES UTILIZING CLASSIFICATION DATA; (2) ETIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF INMATES DESIGNED TO EXPLORE CAUSES OF CRIME AND SUGGEST METHODS OF TREATMENT; (3) EVALUATIVE RESEARCH ON PROGRAMS DEVELOPED FROM NEEDS DISCOVERED THROUGH CLASSIFICATION; (4) OUTCOME STUDIES WHICH USE CLASSIFICATION DATA AS PREDICTIVE INDICATORS OF PAROLE ADJUSTMENT; (5) RESEARCH IN MANAGEMENT, WHICH EXPLORES ALTERNATIVE WAYS FOR CLASSIFICATION AND TREATMENT DATA COLLECTION; (6) THE CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WHICH ATTEMPTS TO FIND CAUSAL FACTORS AND RELATE THEM TO CORRECTIONAL GOALS FOR OFFENDERS; (7) OFFENDER TYPOLOGY RESEARCH; (8) CLASSIFICATION OF INSTITUTIONS; (9) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT RESEARCH TO DEVELOP ALTERNATIVE CLASSIFICATION METHODS, TECHNIQUES, SYSTEMS, AND ORGANIZATIONS; AND (10) SOCIAL STRUCTURE STUDIES WHICH PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO THE INSTITUTIONAL WORLD OF CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. IN ADDITION TO THE PRECEDING ROLES OF EXISTING RESEARCH, THE FOLLOWING AREAS FOR NEW RESEARCH ARE PROPOSED: (1) EVALUATION OF THE RECENT AIDS AND TECHNIQUES MADE AVAILABLE TO CORRECTIONAL TREATMENT IN ADMINISTERING MULTIPLE CLASSIFICATION SCHEMES WHERE OFFENDERS MOVE FROM ONE CLASSIFICATION TO ANOTHER UNDER PROGRESSIVE TREATMENT MODALITIES; (3) RESEARCH TO ENABLE TREATMENT PROGRAMS TO DISCARD PSYCHOLOGICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSTIC CATEGORIES TO MOVE TOWARD AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT STAGE OF ACCESSIBILITY TO TREATMENT THE INMATE OCCUPIES; AND (4) THEORETICAL RESEARCH ON KINDS OF TREATMENT RESPONSES MADE BY VARIOUS TYPES OF INMATES IN DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONAL AND PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTS. SEE NCJ 32007 (RCB)