The Importance of Relationships in
Correctional Programming
Randy Shively
Alvis – Columbus, Ohio
Phil Nunes
Alvis - Columbus, Ohio
Relationship is Underemphasized- why?

We get caught up in curriculum learning

Fidelity - presenting curriculum by the manual instructions

Look at recidivism gains as the key measure

Staff feel undervalued and disliked by inmates
Relationship Defined

Rapport

Minimal trust

Willingness to disclose

Time spent in rehabilitative activities
Responsivity Principle

Responsivity principle - the styles and modes of service incorporated
into the treatment/intervention program; it should be matched to
learning style of participating offender

External and internal factors that can influence capacity to
participate in and benefit from programs

Internal factors include: cognitive ability, learning style, strengths,
personality, gender, culture, readiness to change. External factors
include: evidence-based presenter, therapeutic relationship
Responsivity (cont’d)

Responsivity partly involves an individual’s motivation to engage in
program and to commit to change

Andrews and Bonta discussed therapeutic relationship between
offender and presenter as one of several key elements in effective
correctional programs

Clients are more motivated to participate and challenge their
thinking when they respect and are engaged with staff presenter
Paramilitary Concepts Kill Relationship

Make offenders

Rigid

Punitive

Obedience not teaching

Thinking errors of staff

Lack of choice

Canned programs
Controlling
Must do it my way
No values
Therapeutic Concepts Invite Relationship

Listened to

Choices given

Meaningful relationships

Positive reinforcement of behavior

Hope

Constructive feedback

Caring staff

Replacement thinking (RAPP)
Relationship building is vital in creating
a “Clinical Culture”

Gives staff and inmates common ground to relate and work together

Helps inmates stay engaged in programs and complete programs

Helps with morale on the units

May be the most important element to keep clients motivated
What does “Clinical Culture” look like?

Inmates and staff have basic respect for one another

Power struggles are minimized

Antisocial beliefs and behaviors get challenged – common language

Inmates held accountable for all thoughts and behaviors
Clinical Culture is Created Intentionally
Examples at Alvis House:

DD Hiking Club

Womens: Resident and Staff of Month pick each other

Graduation Ceremonies

Family Nights/Meals

Hiring Own Clients- Social Enterprise
All Correctional Staff need to “live the
culture”

Use common language with inmates

Give inmates input and ownership of their programs

Model behaviors to inmates they want to see more

Give behavior incentives to encourage behavior change
TA and Correctional Rehabilitation

Correctional treatment practices/models include relapse
prevention (and other CBT models), cognitive oriented
therapies and motivational interviewing

Effectiveness increases with collaborative client/counselor
relationship with mutually agreed upon goals

Positive therapeutic style including empathic, warm,
rewarding and directive approaches

Non-confrontational
TA and Correctional Rehabilitation

Therapeutic relationships build trust and rapport

Training should enhance these skills

Therapeutic relationships with offenders should be
characterized by mutual respect, openness, warmth
and enthusiastic communication
Offenders Report of Success

Name one or two staff who made the difference

“My case worker did not give up on me”

“I was sick and tired of being sick and tired”

“I realize some things they are doing in here related to
what I will face out there”
Relationship Importance in Eye of
Beholder

Tommy

Mike

Joe (Depressed)
Importance of Line Staff
“ Line staff can be the most consistent and influential
element in the offender’s life. They will make or break
your program”
Randy Shively
Importance of Line Staff

Often know the clients the best: consistent, frequent and lengthy
interactions with clients

Best equipped to enact good behavior programming and cognitive
programming

On site to model de-escalation for clients

Can gain accurate documentation of behaviors/ changes
Quote
Every interaction with a client can be a
teachable moment”
‘
Randy Shively
What are the implications for operations
staff? Therapeutic staff?
Therapeutic Alliance



60% of outcomes in therapy can be attributed to Alliance
factors between client and counselor
30% of outcomes in therapy can be attributed to Allegiance
factors
8% of outcomes in therapy due to model and technique
Wampold, 2001
Obstacles to Therapeutic Relationship


Time not made to “know client” up front
Therapists frequently fail to identify failing cases
(Norcross, 2009)

We fail to seek client’s buy-in

We get into power struggles with clients

Sometimes “our system” gets in the way
Obstacles to Relationship, Cont’d

Attitude of staff- affects climate

Lack of activities to engage clients

Viewing program as us (staff) vs. them (clients)

Not taking interest in their success - only a statistic
Ways to Build Therapeutic Alliance

Importance of time spent up front with clients

Relationships are important hidden rule of those coming
out of Poverty (Bridges out of Poverty)- develop rapport
prior to hard work

Find ways to work in agreement with client on goalsprograms
Ways to Build, Cont’d

Meet the clients’ immediate needs when possible to build
trust

Have an intentional plan in “interacting with clients”

Invest in clients’ trust banks with a positive balance –
deposits vs. withdrawals
Therapeutic Style Balanced
“Therapeutic style does not preclude need for
firmness, responsibility and accountability in
addition to empathy, warmth and support, in fact a
healthy balance is necessary”
Randy Shively
How staff respond is key
“I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the
decisive element in the consumer’s life. It’s my personal
approach that creates the climate; it’s my daily mood
that makes the weather. I possess a tremendous power to
make a consumer’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a
tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration; I can
humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my
response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated
or de-escalated and a consumer humanized or
dehumanized”
Haim Ginott
Clash of Cultures
Security
Treatment

Serves society through
confinement of inmates

Serves society through
treatment of inmates

Regimentation

Individualized

Consistency of rules

Informed consent

Implicit authority of staff

Negotiated compliance

Punishment culture

Helping culture
Clash of Cultures
Security
Treatment

Focus is the needs of the
institution

Focus is the needs of the
offender

Safety and security

Learning, change, growth
“Relationship”
Treatment


The means by which the
patient/client engages in
the therapeutic process
Cornerstone of treatment
Security

Staff is compromised
 Money
 Sex
 Power
Perceptions
Security staff by treatment staff
Treatment staff by security staff

“Knuckle-draggers”

“Hug-a-thug”

Non-empathic

Soft

Rigid

Gullible

Overly punitive


Violations seen as need for
treatment rather than
punishment
Motivated to help offenders
avoid the consequences
(punishment) of their behavior
There is some basis in reality for these perceptions!
How to Bridge the Divide

From the top down, a “one team” approach-stop
manipulation

Both sides need to be held accountable for the delivery of
treatment services and the safety and security of the
institution

Offenders are incarcerated as punishment, not for
punishment

Common goal: Inmates abide by the rules

People learn through the consequences of their choices

Take advantage of the natural consequences in the
correctional setting
Lifestyle Addict
Lifestyle Criminal
“Nor has illicit drug use been shown to convert
nonoffenders into offenders; rather, drug use
serves to intensify criminal activity among those
who are already offenders.”
Farabee, D., Joshi, V., & Anglin, M.D. (2001) . Addiction careers and
criminal specialization. Crime and Delinquency, 47(2), 196-220.
Criminal Lifestyle:
Four Behavioral Characteristics
(Walters, 1990)
•
Irresponsibility
•
Self-indulgence
•
Interpersonal
Intrusiveness
•
Social Rule Breaking
Stages of Change:
Transtheoretical Model (Prochaska, et. al.)
Pre-contemplation
2. Contemplation
3. Preparation
4. Action
5. Maintenance
1.
Motivation for Treatment
Questionable motives
• To satisfy the Court, family, or some other
external entity
• Extension of manipulation
• “Beat the system”
•
Staff Treatment Goal
Help them become drug
and crime-free
Offender Treatment Goals
•Escape:
Neutralize the therapist
•Destroy:
Tarnish the integrity of the therapist
and the program
•Sabotage
(overt/covert): Remain the same
Solutions
I
Problems
II
Excuses
III
Alcohol
Drugs
Lying
Stealing
Dealing
B&E
Gambling
Strip Clubs
Guns/weapons
Assault
Murder
Domestic
Violence
Suicide
Truancy
Anger
Guilt/Shame
Approval
Acceptance
Recognition
Excitement
Boredom
Frustration
Annoyance
Disappointment
Rejection
Failure
Impulsiveness
Impatience
Family
Friends
Spouse (Ex)
Child Support
Probation Officer
IRS
Tickets
Baby’s
“Mama/Daddy”
Employer
Deaths/Births
Illness
The Neighborhood
Paydays
Holidays
Consequences
IV
Jail
Death
Unemployment
Loss of
Employment
Homelessness
Divorce
Insanity
IOR



Identify: Admit to using Thinking Error and Social Behavior
Problems
Own: In the moment realizes the error of their
thinking/behaviors- AHA moment
Replace: Conscious effort to use prosocial thinking
Operations and Security Perspective
Phil Nunes- Chief Programs Officer- Alvis
Staff/Offender Relationships Key in
Community Corrections

All staff must communicate and share offender information

All staff must be seen as equal contributors to the success of offenders

Positions and titles mean little---- all staff must be seen as an Agent of
Change!
Benefits to the Program and
Environment
Staff all contributing and sharing information:

Opportunity for offender manipulation decreases greatly

Clients less likely to treat security staff and therapy staff differently

Environment is healthy and behaviors caught early with fewer major
incidents
Ways All Staff Support Treatment

Security staff sharing of information with treatment staff
gives up to date depiction of offenders’ successes and
challenges

Security staff trying to help offenders instead of always
referring them to treatment staff- will give security staff
influence

Treatment staff not dumping on Security staff-treating
them like equals
Benefits of Team Work

As all staff viewed as change agents offenders do better
in treatment

As more offender information gets shared between
security and treatment staff security issues improve


Negative incidents greatly reduced on living area
All staff more invested on building supportive
environment
Questions to consider...
Building positive relationships in your agency and
practice....
What are your agency values and how might they
enhance or conflict with relationship building?
o Is relationship building a priority for the staff and your
agency? If not, why?
o What initiatives have been taken or need to be taken as
an agency?
o What are the unique challenges and views of the clients
serviced that may impact relationship building?
o Does your framework, approach and intervention
techniques enhance or limit relationship building?
o Are staff training , agency policies and program
expectations reflective of agency values and
relationship building?
o
Discussion Questions

In your program(s) how can you build stronger
relationships between staff and clients? What are your
main obstacles?

How do staff/client relationships impact successful
completion rates?

What are the greatest relational barriers for clients? For
staff?
References
See Handout
Contacts
Randy Shively- randy.shively@alvishouse.org
614-252-8402
Phil Nunes- phil.nunes@alvishouse.org
614-252-8402