Essay on Offender Classification and Therapy - 1514 Words

Over the last few decades classification systems for offenders have been used for a variety of organizational purposes. Over time these classification systems have evolved, not only as a whole in the criminal justice system, but also varying between different organizations. Classification systems that create models based on the risks and needs of offenders are most popular. Throughout the years these models and the purposes for their use have been in a state of change, as well as the way their effectiveness is gaged. One of the most commonly used classification systems for offenders is the combination of risk assessment and need assessment. The combination of these two systems of classification is rather new. The earliest types of†¦show more content†¦The second generation was characterized by the custody classification risks and parolees being classified on their risk of reoffending based on their custody classification. These early models were administered routinely but scores rarely changed because the information in the assessment was static and did not change over time (Van Voorhis, et al., 2009). Such information as the severity of prior convictions, and prior felonies did not change between assessments and led to an overly simple classification system that did not offer any options for treatment or change within offender behavior. Additionally, it was proven that the earliest risk assessment models were not accurate in dealing with female offenders because the history of women off enders is not as indicative of future behavior as it is with male offenders (Van Voorhis et al., 2008). While the original risk assessment models were helpful in achieving a basic glance at offender behavior risks, it lacked the quality assessment tools needed to not only determine whether an offender was going to be a danger while institutionalized or the community once paroled, but to fully offer options for rehabilitation. More recently, the combination of risk/needs assessments have changed the course of classification models. No longer are risks assessments conducted solely for the institutionalized but also are used to foresee new transgressions with needs that are similarly elements of offenderShow MoreRelatedResponse Paper On Sexual Offenders1653 Words   |  7 PagesSexual offenders refer to sexual acts against a victim’s will and includes a wide range of behaviors ranging from exposing oneself in a public place to rape. Probation and parole officers have the difficult task of working with sexual offenders and trying to help them during their rehabilitation process. From researching different sources, I have concluded that risk assessment, treatment, supervision, and restrictions/registration have effectively helped by working with sexual offenders in the communityRead More Investigative Psychology Essay1378 Words   |  6 Pagescause of death. Forensic hypnosis is an interview or inte rrogation method used by trained and credentialed professionals. Lastly, geographic mapping is a method of research â€Å"concerned with analyzing spatial patterns of crimes committed by numerous offenders over a period of time (Bartol Bartol, 2008).† Geographic profiling is the analysis of a single serial offender’s geographic movement. Due to the complexities of investigative psychology these methods have been scrutinized. In order for theseRead MorePrison Corrections, Treatment Programs, Rehabilitation, And The Prevention Of Recidivism861 Words   |  4 Pagesprograms, rehabilitation, and the prevention of recidivism is a process that can only be measured in small percentage points†¦sometimes gaining, sometimes losing, and on an individual level, in the trenches, between the agents of the system and the offenders, a sometimes lumbering, attempt and daily challenge to hold ground. The nature of crime and punishment (rehabilitation and prevention) is fragile and tenuous by nature, with no grand sweeping touchdowns or grand slams. With the nation’s correctionalRead MorePrison and Rehabilitation1051 Words   |  5 PagesIntentions of rehabilitation Rehabilitation is specific programs applied within a prison setting intended to bring about the end of criminal behavior called desistance, meaning to cease or stop. It is supposed to be a simple formula: prisoner classification X appropriate programming X positive participation = probability of desistance. Get the inmate into the right program, keep him in there long enough to complete successfully, and put the inmate into the community to test their non-criminal behaviorRead MorePrison Treatment1471 Words   |  6 PagesOffenders and the Need for Treatment A hard line stance by law enforcement to treat addiction with a criminal justice approach rather than with a public health approach has resulted in over-crowded prisons and offenders in need of treatment. The rise of the prison population began with enactment of the federal Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 (Olson Lurigio, 2014). Highlighting the escalating prison population, Olson and Lurigio (2014) noted from 1990-2000 the stateRead MoreInmates with special needs1204 Words   |  5 PagesCJA/234 November 25, 2013 Richard Gilbert Inmates with Special Needs Inmate with special needs, mental illnesses, substance-abuse issues, juvenile offenders, and older inmates are all considered special offenders upon entering the correctional facility and classification process. These inmates are classified as special offenders, which refers to inmates with behavioral issues that will need close supervision, specific treatment plans, and sometimes treatment outside the correctional facilityRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency Is The Highest Rate For Juvenile Crime1733 Words   |  7 Pagesoffer are all different. So why does the U.S have the highest rate for juvenile crime? The United States has the highest rate for juvenile crime yet, like several other countries the U.S juvenile courts seeks to rehabilitate and discourage youthful offenders from criminal activity by having a variety of programs to help and using imprisonment as a last resort. Although children of any age can be charged in juvenile court, children under the age of fourteen cannot be charged with a crime unless the prosecutorRead More Female Sex Offenders: Perception is Not Reality1640 Words   |  7 Pagesfemale sex offenders differently than male sex offenders, the punishments of female sex offenders are more lenient than men who commit the same types of crimes, and the differences between male and female victims are all perception and not reality. Objective considerations to additional factors make the perceptions baseless. These additional factors solidify the factual differences between male and female sex offenders. The acceptance that the court system often treats female offenders differentlyRead MoreEssay about Therapy, Not Punishment843 Words   |  4 PagesTherapy, Not Punishment Problems with crime have always been a concern to society. There are many different ideas about what causes it and even more ideas about how to stop it. Dr. Karl Menninger believes that our current prison system is not adequately addressing the motivation behind crime. In his article Therapy, Not Punishment, Menninger says of the old prison system, In its place should go a quiet, dignified, therapeutic programÉ (544). He sets forth the claim of policy that criminalsRead MorePrisons : Prisons And Prisons1332 Words   |  6 Pagesthe general public often misinterprets the difference between jails and prisons. For long confinement terms, jails are not used to hold sentenced offenders. However, jails are the oldest of the correctional components. According to Seiter (2011), jails were initiated prior to halfway houses, parole, probation, or prisons. Also, jails hold various offenders such as those being held administratively for a criminal justice agency, waiting to transfer to anot her facility, being detained a pending trial