Prison Rehabilitative Programs in the United States
Prison Life Rehabilitative Programs
Introduction to Prison Rehabilitative Programs
Almost every U.S. and Canadian prison operates programs that are considered a part of inmate rehabilitation. Most prisons offer counseling and educational programs designed to help inmates with drug or alcohol dependencies or mental health problems. However, a study by the U.S. Department of Justice reports that while the proportion of inmates who had used drugs prior to arrest increased somewhat during the 1990s, the proportion of inmates receiving drug abuse treatment substantially declined. Similarly, although experts estimate that prisoners with mental health problems make up more than half of the U.S. inmate population, only 5 percent of all prison inmates participate in mental health programs. About 2 percent of all prison inmates participate in sex offender programs and receive individual or group counseling and other forms of professional assistance.
Many inmates lack basic employment skills when they enter prison. The majority of prisons offer inmates a variety of educational and vocational-technical services. Under most conditions, inmates may voluntarily participate in these programs for purposes of self-improvement. About one-fifth of all U.S. state prison inmates participate in some form of educational or vocational-technical program. In federal prisons in the United States, one-fourth of all prisoners are involved in similar programs. Participation in rehabilitative programs varies considerably among state prisons. In Arizona, for instance, 70 percent of all inmates participate in rehabilitative programs. In contrast, less than 5 percent of all inmates in Nebraska and Florida participate in such programs.
Critics contend that prisons generally fail to rehabilitate a majority of inmates. On the average, two-thirds of all inmates who are incarcerated in prisons commit new crimes when they are released. Furthermore, some inmates exploit the vocational and educational programs offered to them. Some prisoners participate simply to impress parole board members, who often look favorably on an inmate’s involvement in these programs.” (1)
Resources
Notes and References
- Information about Prison Rehabilitative Programs in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia