CJS - Chapter 11
Rehab Hist: background and basic issues
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Coercion issue
“Fit” issue 2 aspects (who? which prog?)
Evaluation issues (int/ext, short/long term)
“Net widening” issue (vs. “doing nothing”)
CJS - Chapter 11
– Dropout and relapse issues
– The key bigger issue now is “recidivism”
(huge flood of released prisoners)
Liberal dilemma – rehab doesn’t work
Conserv dilemma – cost of “get tough”
+ it doesn’t work either
and leads to disaster
CJS - Chapter 11
Types of rehab programs
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(early to late):
Probation/Diversion (boot camps, etc.)
Prison programs (job, drug training, etc.)
Reentry programs
Parole (supervised release)
Walker’s discussion – Chap 11
CJS - Chapter 11
What is rehabilitation and what is the
principle strategy of rehab?
Planned intervention to help offenders stop
getting in trouble - speed up aging out
Supervised reintegration to community
CJS - Chapter 11
Why are community-based programs
preferred by rehab proponents?
– Familiar to offender
– Closer to the offender’s family
– Much cheaper than prison
CJS - Chapter 11
How do celebrated cases distort public
understanding of rehab?
Failures often highly publicized
Successes rarely publicized
Makes problems seem intractable and fault
of irresponsible individuals
CJS - Chapter 11
Who was Robert Martinson and what
is the “nothing works” controversy?
No evidence that expensive programs work
(Note: most evaluations were in-house evals)
*** discuss this ***
CJS - Chapter 11
How does the prediction problem
relate to rehab programs?
Important!!
two issues:
– Who are the good prospects for rehab?
– Fitting prospects to the right program.
CJS - Chapter 11
Who is Ted Palmer and what are “intermediate
punishments”?
“In between” incarceration and rehab
Boot camps, mandatory drug rehab, etc.
Combine punishment and “help”
(note: coercion issue!)
CJS - Chapter 11
“Diversion” and “net widening”
Diversion - programs instead of jail/prison
“Net Widening” - sending to program
rather than “doing nothing”
CJS - Chapter 11
Doing nothing allows aging out - which works.
Doing anything else seems to backfire, whether it
is prison, intermediate, or rehab. Rehab progs
look for best prospects -- often “offenders” who
would have been released (doing nothing).
Getting “best prospects” into rehab means doing
something instead of nothing, so this replaces an
approach that works with approach that doesn’t!
CJS - Chapter 11
What does W conclude about diversion?
“Help” is not usually helpful
Offenders regard it as harassment
Outcome is failure and net widening
CJS - Chapter 11
What is probation and what purposes
does it serve?
Most common sentence (most crimes petty)
“Supervision” in community, not jail/prison
Much cheaper than jail/prison
CJS - Chapter 11
Outcomes (recidivism) no better than prison
or doing nothing
Supervision and “Services” are seen as
harassment, obstacle to achieving normal life
Doing nothing re petty crime is cheaper and
works better, but we are not going to do it,
so probation is the “practical” choice.
CJS - Chapter 11
What does W conclude about probation?
Doing nothing works and is cheaper but is not
an option politically
Prison is an expensive disaster
Probation will continue to be widely used.
CJS - Chapter 11
What is IPS - does it reduce recidivism?
IPS means more “doing something”
Seen as harassment, an obstacle
Case loads too high to really help
Doesn’t work - doesn’t decrease recidivism
CJS - Chapter 11
Home Confinement & Electronic Monitoring
- do they reduce recidivism?
Don’t reduce recidivism
Net widening problem again
CJS - Chapter 11
Boot camps - do they reduce recidivism?
Net widening again
Short term improvement, long term no
Boot camps are very expensive and don’t work
Would aftercare solve the problems??
Some evidence
CJS - Chapter 11
Why is parole a rehabilitation strategy
- does regular parole reduce recidivism?
Parole instead of prison - at end of term
Same basic problems as probation
CJS - Chapter 11
What is Intensive Parole Supervision
- does it reduce recidivism?
Same problems as Intensive Probation Supervision – seen
as harassment,
obstacle to normal life
CJS - Chapter 11
How does the prediction problem
relate to parole release?
Best prospects for parole – guesswork –
and is often unjust (e.g., history of racism)
CJS - Chapter 11
Would abolishing parole reduce crime?
Parole is being abolished now and replaced
with longer prison terms (“truth in sentencing”)
This doesn’t reduce crime rates and causes
various other problems – binge, costs, higher
recidivism rates, etc.
CJS - Chapter 11
What is “faith-based treatment” –
do these programs reduce recidivism?
Religious programs -no more effective than secular programs
CJS - Chapter 11
Offender reentry programs
over 700,000 a year!!
60-70% recidivism rates
Future of rehab?
doesn’t look good