NCJ Number
129659
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 53 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1991) Pages: 100,102-103,188-189
Date Published
1991
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Within a correctional setting, special needs facilities combine elements of a medical facility, a forensic mental health facility, and the therapeutic environment usually associated with residential treatment for substance abusers or the mentally ill.
Abstract
The first step in planning a special needs facility is to define the population the facility will serve and the type and levels of treatment and services it will provide. The District of Columbia which is building an 800-bed correctional treatment facility and Tennessee which is planning a 612-bed special needs facility are addressing the two major issues for these populations; the integration of the dual mission of treatment and security. Housing units that constitute a therapeutic milieu may be the answer to creating a therapeutic environment that provides more freedom of movement and staff-patient interaction. A therapeutic environment requires attention to interior design and professional clinical staff. To establish a smoothly run special needs facility that meets short- and long-term needs calls for thorough population research, careful operational planning and architectural space programming, thoughtful design and location, and pilot testing of treatment.