Prisoners with Special NeedsAngaleana Williams
CJA/234 October 27, 2014 John Eckert
Prisoners with Special NeedsA special offender population will be chosen and it will be discussed as the curriculum directed to help or show interest in that population. What are the traits of this curriculum will be covered. With how the curriculum afflicted the special convict population in that prison will also be covered?
The residential drug program that operates within the prison is the Federal Bureau of Prison’s drug abuse program it has separate units in numerous prisons that has staffing, structure, length of treatments, and programs that are provided to deal with the addictions. All inmates have to participant in the 500- hour program as well as reside in a treatment unit, which is separate from the prison general inmate population. This program requires the offenders to assume responsibility for their behavior and to make a conscious decision to avoid engaging in drug taking or criminal behavior.
Evidence has proven that these types of programs are effective in both reducing drug use and recidivism. It helps them acquire positive life skills and have a physical wellbeing, and build family relationships. It is also supplemented by other programs that help complement it such as education, work skills training, recreation, disease prevention, and health promotion instruction (Seiter, 2011, p 285).
There was estimated in midyear of 2005, that there were 1,255,700 offenders in state and federal prisons and local jails representing 56% of state prisoners, 45% of federal prisoners, and 64% of local jail offenders that had mental health problems (Seiter, 2011, p 287). Inmates are screened for mental illness when they are sent to prison. Treatment for the mentally ill in the prison will fall generally into one of three categories: First- screening the inmates at intake for mental health conditions, Second – therapy or counseling for the inmates, and Third- psychotropic medications. In the prisons, the responsibility of assessing and the treating of the mentally ill inmates fall’s on the correctional psychologists.
Mentally ill inmates are more common to have or display disciplinary problems while in prison. The mentally ill offenders are not only a problem to manage while in prison or under community supervision; they are also the most likely to recidivate than any other offenders. It is a difficult challenge in managing the mentally ill offenders in both the community and in the prison. Typical punishment does not deter the offenders like it does for the non-mentally ill inmates. Though they may receive longer prison sentence for the crimes, they may not be able to use the punishment as an incentive for them to discontinue their criminal activities.
Even thou they are supervised when in the community, their ability not to recidivate in not a result of a simple decision not to, it is the results more so of their inability to manage themselves. It is difficult for them to maintain the use of their psychotropic medication, or to deal with the responsibility of the problems regarding housing, employment or relationships.
For the older inmates there are several issues the prisons have to deal with, such as more expense for the increase for the health care needs. Because the elderly people require more medical care, it costs three times more for those incarcerated. Most have illnesses and general health problems that result from the aging process as well as their years of risky lifestyle choices, such as the use of tobacco use, extensive drug, and alcohol use, and high risk sexual behavior (Seiter, 2011, p 291). With the older inmates not able to be assigned to most work details that they have difficulty getting around, though, the prison as well as the housing and bed arrangements often cause problems. This all comes to