Chapter 12

Offender Supervision: Types of Offenders and Special Supervisory Considerations

Introduction

• • • In the 1950s and 1960s, POs enjoyed far greater predictability in their work than today Although there have always been offenders with problems, substance abuse, mental illness, and communicable diseases have become pervasive in American society Contemporary probationers and parolees have special problems and are in need of unconventional services

Probation and Parole: Risk/Needs Assessment

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Introduction

– In 2005 an estimated 600,000 mentally ill offenders were incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails – Among probationers and parolees that year, 700, 000 were identified as mentally ill – Another type of offender that POs supervise is sex offenders – Because of limitation of where they can be and treatment and counseling services they need, they require continuous monitoring – By far the largest category of offenders in need of supervision are substance abusers

Types of Offenders: An Overview

• Coping with special-needs offenders – These include physically, mentally, psychologically, socially impaired, or handicapped offenders who require extraordinary care and supervision – Operators of community-based correctional facilities face continual dilemmas over the need to accommodate these offenders – Some community corrections facilities are linked closely with other close-custody prisons, such as the Massachusetts Correctional Institution for women at Framingham

Mentally Ill Offenders

• • • The mentally ill inmates present correctional officials with problems similar to those who have drug/alcohol dependencies Because of these conditions they are also often disruptive In many jurisdictions, treatment services for the mentally ill receive a low budgetary and program priority

Sex Offenders and Child Sexual Abusers

• • • Sometimes these offenders are grouped with those who are mentally ill Since many sex offenses are committed against victims known by the offenders, a large number of these incidents are not reported to the police Thus, no one really knows how many sex offenders there are in the United States at any given time

Drug/Alcohol-Dependent Offenders

• • • Drug and alcohol abuse are highly correlated with criminal conduct There is evidence that many offenders suffer from polysubstance abuse Offenders with drug and alcohol dependencies present several problems for corrections personnel – Jails are not equipped to handle withdrawal syndromes – Often the symptoms are dealt with instead of the underlying causes of dependencies

HIV/Aids Offenders

• • • • A growing problem in corrections is HIV/AIDS By 2005, there were over 5 million HIV/AIDS cases in the United States AIDS is particularly prevalent among jail and prison inmates Prisoners living in close quarters are highly susceptible to the AIDS virus because of the likelihood of anal-genital or oral-genital contact

Gang Members

• • • • In 2006 there were over 1.1 million active gang members in 30,000 youth gangs throughout the United States, both on the streets and in U.S. prisons and jails Almost every city with a population of 250,000 or more reported presence of gangs Gangs pose threats to community stability and citizen safety Many gang members have antisocial personalities and have difficulty relating to, or coping with, others

Developmentally Disabled Offenders

• • • • A growing but neglected population of offenders are those with physical handicaps Physically challenged offenders require greater attention from their POs Acquiring and maintaining employment is often difficult for persons with physical handicaps Community volunteers are increasingly helpful in assisting probation and parole agencies with physically handicapped clients

Drug Screening and Methadone Treatment

• • • • Detecting drug abuse is most often accomplished through clinical screenings performed by addiction counselors A clinical screening is an initial gathering and compiling of information to determine if an offender has a problem with alcohol or drug abuse Clients are considered ready for treatment when they perceive and accept that they have a problem Some treatments include taking methadone to deal with intense withdrawal symptoms from heroin

Drug Courts and the Drug Court Movement

• • • • Drug courts are special courts that are dedicated exclusively to the needs of drug-abusing offenders They work with prosecutors, defense counsels, treatment professionals, probation officers, and other community agencies to achieve outcomes for drug abusers that will maximize their treatment A unique feature of drug courts is the specialization they exhibit toward drug-abusing offenders Drug courts provide for more consistent and frequent monitoring of offenders

Drug Courts and the Drug Court Movement

• The drug court model characteristics – A single drug court judge and staff who provide leadership and focus – Expedited adjudication through early identification of program participants – Intensive long-term treatment and aftercare – Comprehensive and well-coordinated supervision through regular status hearing – Increased defendant accountability through graduated sanctions and awards

Community Programs for Special-Needs Offenders

• Therapeutic communities – A treatment model in which all activities, both formal and informal, are viewed as interrelated – These include educational and therapeutic meetings and groups as well as interpersonal and social activities within the community – Therapeutic communities are often mandated by the courts or parole boards for persons with substance abuse problems

Community Programs for Special-Needs Offenders

• Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Gamblers Anonymous programs – AA and NA programs have played major roles as community support mechanisms to provide social support for recovering alcohol and drug abusers – These programs are designed to provide information and guidance for those with alcohol and drug dependenci es

Gang Members

• Supervision of gang members – There are several problems confronting POs in dealing with gang members – When gang members have been incarcerated they seem to leave prison and increase their violence – POs have to interact with these gang members often on their own turf – Many gang members are involved in illicit activities – Often gang members use hand signals and special language that a PO may not understand

Gang Members

• Tattoo removal programs – It is often hard for gang members to attempt to leave their gangs – One of the telltale signs of gang membership is a gang tattoo – Increasingly PO agencies are offering to remove these symbols of gang membership