Need to measure success of offender programs?
15 posts, 6 voices
Login to reply
delta4
2 posts
|
the most evident way to know weather it is successful is to look at the job that the officers in the field or doing.if officers are having a high turn over rate then there are problems. one the officer really does not know what his Inmates are doing and where they are. too the caseload of these officers is to large. the caseload needs to be between 25 and 30 any more and they get lost in the crowd. officers need manageable caseloads so they are not overloaded. |
| How are others out there measuring success? We are looking at rearrest within 6 mo. and 1 year. The question is what definition of recidivism to use. Rearrest, violation of parole/probation/supervision,return to prison? Our jail looks at rearrest in 6 mo., the state looks at rearrest in 2 years. Thoughts? | |
|
jjmason
1 post
|
Successful programs, what is success? Is it no recidivism? Over what time period? Is it a reduction in severity and/or frequency of offending? Regardless of theory, intent, or resources devoted to the issue of rehabilitation there is no, repeat no program shown to reliabilibly reduce / eliminate recidivism once age is factored in the analysis. Age is the great rehabilitor not the good intentions of staff and offenders. Some programs have shown an initial effect but that soon wears off or is so small as to be a statistical artifact. There have been very few real evaluations of programs. It would be great to have access to a state system to do an independent evaluation but that exposes both sides to some risk and agencies are hesitant to partake. |
joycejail
1 post
|
It takes the entire prison staff to make an offender program work, not just officers. If everyone works together for a common goal, then perhaps a program can be outlined and implemented. I feel that the medical staff is a very important part of the team, everyone needs to be saying the same, teaching the same, etc. You need to depend on eachother, talking and walking the same language. |
| A program's success is relative to each offender and even small steps or changes in thinking and/or behavior can be regarded as successful. Reducing recidivism or reducing substance abuse is success. Changing thinking to pro social vs. criminal is success. Often in offender programs we fail to acknowledge that many small positive steps can lead to big rewards over time. | |
| They are not effective at all-you know why? Because we have guys that keep coming back because jail is nice and cozy. It is a blast for them-play cards, watch tv, eat, sleep, hang out with their friends, free medical- enough said!!!!!!!!!! | |
| Those corrections employees that don't believe offender programs are successful should find another way to make a living. The real measuring tool is to take a look at the alternative. At least in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections > we are making a significant EFFORT! Enough said! | |
|
jpearson
2 posts
|
Well, Dave, guess you've never been in jail or prison. I've offered to those with comments like yours to give me control of your life for a weekend, not in a jail or prison, but at a fancy hotel at my cost. Never had a taker. But, there is a shred of truth in what you say--but in my experience it applies mainly to offenders who could better be handled in the community where they have to face reality, family responsibilities, etc. However, many are chronically disfunctional, so this is not doing nothing vs incarceration, it requires structured intervention and support. |
| How can you expect inmates to truely be a valuable member of society and to know how act in situations that they come across when they are locked up all day with no contact with the outside world?? We need to help these people get on their feet... and it's not going to happen in prison. | |
|
Yeah pearson I have been in jail-I have worked in corrections for 20 years and it is doing time with these guys in reverse. Should we offer programs? Yes of course-for every 100 that walk through the door there are a few successes. In the past few years I have tabulated inmates that have been at our county jail over and over and over and now have murdered someone or are doing significant time at other more secure facilities. Its astonishing -we had a St>paul police officer shot to death by two inmates that between them had over 50 arrests in the past 10 years. NO PROGRAMS or REHAB was needed for these two guys, only one thing -to be locked up permanently. Guess What TOOLATE again!!!!!! Another good person dead-that is just one example-I dont have the time or space to write all the other murders that could have been prevented with harsher sentencing. I guess I am a realist and to Harrah who said I should get out of the business-maybe you should because I dont think you realize just how bad these guys are- and once again-yes offer programs and try, but from what I have seen it is a joke to most of these guys-SORRY the truth hurts-If an inmate wants to change he can-and no amount of programs or coddling is going to change that. And on a personal note- it is Jesus Christ where a man can really change his heart-I have know sex offenders and other offenders flat out tell me that they are only in programs to get their sentence reduced. I am a realist with 20 years of experience-It is sad and I have compassion for alot of these guys-they have been abused, and messed up from the word go-but the public needs to be free and safe from these sociopaths. Ever heard of Dru Schjodin-nice ,sweet college student who was abducted outside a mall in Fargo. Her abducter had raped a woman 20 years earlier and was released because he had done his time-well guess what he killed this beautiful young girl-he NEVER | |
| Read Dr. masons comments-right on Doc!! No such thing as success Harrah-our system is a failure and so are the programs-colossal waste of money-sorry harrah you are wrong-Oh Yeah Go Ohio-your state is perfect-no crime, allthe programs work great ,no recidivism, come on get real!!!!!!! | |
| It's people like you, with your negative mindset, that give rehabilitation a BAD NAME! You should continue to bury your head in the sand! | |
| Harrah with all due respect I am not negative merely realistic.Perhaps you are right, but after 20 years of seeing the same men come back to our facility over and over you start to wonder. Last May we had a St.Paul Police office shot to death by two inmates that had been arrested nearly 50 times in a 10 year period. I happen to know one of these guys personally from my work here. The system failed , these two never should have been on the streets. I am on the side of the victims after seeing how many people have been brutalized by inmates that I supervised and then were released back into society.In the past 3 years over a half dozen men have released here at our county jail and then went out and murdered someone. It was simply a matter of time. Our jail has programs that are super-school teachers that really care about these guys, classes on anger, finances, mock interviews by local employers to help these guys out. Should we try? Is one in a hundred maybe going to change -yes it is possible-but what I am saying it is in alot of cases already too late by the time they reach adult prisons or jails. Are jail is planning a 120 bed expansion! Why? Because the system is failing-and people want these guys locked up and the streets safe! Do you want changed lives? You need to start in the home-70-80 percent of these guys have no dad or good male influences in their lives-research has shown boys are impulsive and without proper male guidance the likelyhood of criminal involvement gos way up.It is epidemic in this country-men fathering kids , but not being around and that is why we continue to build prisons and why the system is not working. So Harrah I believe in providing these guys the tools, but if they dont know how to even think like a man-its like giving a 2 year old a hammer and a saw and saying 'build me a house' he cant! We are dire need of men to be dads to their sons-I know one juvenile worker who works with 15-16 year offenders and he says 'I make great progress alot of times with these kids, but then I send | |
| Listen to the offender talk about them. They complained and sued when they didn't have offender programs. Now, they complain that we have them. Why? Because they don't have to take them. They can refuse. What good is that? | |
Igoturback
16 posts
|
I’m a realistic person too and I see inmates come in and pick up the bible. and just to get out of their cells to do some programs but when they leave, they they drop off everything at the same door they came through. they get everything. all that money wasted and it could have gone to us officers but we still get nothing. most of the inmates do not learn anything so I tell them don’t come back but I’ll leave the light on do you want to reserve your same room now . TO the ones who are aways pro inmates,or thats not fair, cry,cry,cry all the time. I find they have nothing going for them in the real world. Get a life. |
* For speed and versatility, Corrections.com has been relaunched in opensource. Some older postings dates may be affected.
