NCJ Number
168612
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 23 Issue: 1/2 Dated: (1996) Pages: 167-184
Date Published
1996
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This paper reports on interviews that examined the interaction between treatment program staff and the custodial staff of a promising institutional substance abuse treatment program.
Abstract
The program involved is the Amity RighTurn Program in California, which is operated by a private nonprofit organization. This is a 9- to 12-month intensive therapeutic community "in-prison" substance abuse program for 200 male inmates, with continuation services for up to 60 inmates. Inmates accepted into the program are housed in their own living and program units, segregated from the general prison population. The current study involved interviews with 12 of the program's treatment staff and 15 correctional staff assigned to the treatment program. The interview findings suggest that the differing goals of the two categories of staff and their communication problems stimulated an adversarial "we versus them" relationship. When asked for suggestions to improve this interaction between corrections and treatment personnel, all the correctional officers emphasized the need for improved communication. The majority of the officers indicated they wanted information to make the program work but were not invited to come and find out about the program by either the Amity staff or corrections supervisors. The officers supported the inclusion of more mandatory staff meetings. The correctional counselors felt that both treatment staff and correctional staff needed additional training. Conflicts over scheduling and security concerns point to a marked need to bring the separate missions of treatment and custody together. 33 references