The Role of a Social Worker in Corrections - Dissertation Example

The role of a social worker in corrections of the of the November 28, Full Sentence Outline I. The increasing number of offender population in the United States has enhanced the significance of correctional social work practices. A. Inmates in correctional settings tend to display offending behavior patterns and anti- social behaviors. B. A social worker needs to identify and prevent delinquent or criminal behavior of the offending population. 1. It necessitates specific knowledge and skills from the part of the social workers. 2. Correctional social work among offenders has the potential to bring about both curative and rehabilitative changes. II. The duty of a social worker is to prepare the offending population for smooth social functioning and socially acceptable behavior. A. Social workers interact with family members, community, staff in the correctional facilities, and other social service agencies for the well-being of their clients. B. Social workers in corrections play a number of roles- the roles of counselors, mediators, psychologists, coordinators, advocates, evaluators, and persuaders. The role of a social worker in corrections Introduction The rising number of the offender population in the United States has enhanced the scope and significance of correctional social work practices. Every correctional system requires the services of efficient social workers and correctional settings can vary from jails and prisons to pretrial and post trial, and community-based correctional programs. Inmates in correctional settings tend to display offending behavior patterns and anti-social behaviors. It is therefore imperative that they are continuously monitored and provided timely corrections. It has also been found that juvenile offenders and older people in correctional facilities are very much in need of social work services. Similarly, probation or parole officers from social workers are better equipped to deal with correctional population. The services of social workers are essential not only in corrections but also in the rehabilitation of released prisoners. Consequently, there is a great demand for trained social workers “who have knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to work with correctional clients” (Correctional counselors: roles, work environments, conflicts, and challenges, n.d). As part of their correctional roles, social workers need to interact with the family members, community, staff in the correctional facilities, and other social service agencies for the well-being of their clients. Social workers in corrections play a number of roles including counselors, mediators, psychologists, coordinators, advocates, evaluators, and persuaders. Besides, they need to quip themselves with the specialized knowledge and specific skills required for a correctional social worker. However, there is a shortage of correctional social workers in the judicial system of many nations due to their increased demand. This paper seeks to explore the different roles and interventions undertaken by social workers in various correctional settings. It is worthwhile to understand the meaning and depth of correction with regard to social work practice. Kumar and Devasia (2009, p. 229), in this regard, view correction as part of social control-“a social process by which modern society deals with officially identified lawbreakers.” The ultimate aim of correction is to identify and prevent delinquent or criminal behavior of the offending population. Correction by social workers is possible in the case of all types of offenders. However, offenders who are placed on probation and parole are more likely to benefit from correctional social work. Social workers who indulge in correctional process among offenders should possess knowledge regarding the dynamics of human behavior and they should be trained in strategies and interventions that will promote socially acceptable behavior and participation in community living. For this it is essential that the social worker realizes how the values and behavioral patterns of the offender differ from that of the community. The social worker aims to assist the offender and the goal of correctional social work “is to utilize the knowledge and skills of the profession in a corrective manner, to rehabilitate the offender, to help him to help himself, so that he can return to and become a part of his society and to lead a constructive life” (Kumar & Devasia, 2009, p. 232). Correctional social work thus stresses on smooth social functioning and socially acceptable behavior among the offender population. The correctional social worker acts as a catalyst agent who initiates desirable social and behavioral changes among his clients. The primary aim of social work services is to promote social functioning of individuals and strengthen healthy social interactions among them. An effective social worker can accomplish these goals through three social work functions: “restoration of impaired capacity, provision of individual and social resources and prevention of social dysfunction” (Kumar & Devasia, 2009, p. 226). In correctional setting, social workers need to assess the offenders and assist them for effective social functioning and timely rehabilitation. The various roles played by social workers in correctional facilities include professional assessment of offenders, developing social and interpersonal skills, offering timely therapeutic counseling and support, offering correctional supervision during parole and probation, facilitating meaningful relations between offenders and their families, and getting collaborative support from other service providers in the rehabilitation process (Social Work Services, n.d). The major target groups of social workers in the correctional facilities are probationers and parolees, elderly and young offenders, community offenders, and all other categories of male and female offenders. Corrections play a significant role in the smooth functioning of the criminal justice system of the nation and social workers contribute immensely towards the correctional component of the criminal justice system. Social workers have proved their worth as “probation and parole officers, as social workers in a prison, and as social workers at a correctional half-way house” and a few police departments have also sought their assistance for correctional purposes (Zastrow, 2009, p. 319). The author points out two significant problems faced by social workers in the correctional setting: “custody treatment conflict and offenders’ “con games” and every social worker need to know how these factors are operating in correctional facilities (Zastrow, 2009, p. 319). Very often, offenders try to con, persuade, deceive, and manipulate social workers for their personal gains. Similarly, most of the offenders in correctional facilities are distrustful towards social workers as they regard them as part of the system that has punished them. This has well been pointed by Reamer (2004) when the author purports that offenders in the correctional setting tend to view social workers with resistance, hostility, and suspicion. Therefore, it is imperative that social workers build trust and confidence of the clients during the correctional process. Lack of continuity or consistency in service is another crippling factor that adversely affects social work in correctional facilities. Usually, social work services for the offenders are provided only when they enter or leave correctional places. Correctional social work among offenders aim at bringing about both curative and rehabilitative changes among them: “its curative aspects are to eliminate factors that have caused breakdown of functioning, and its rehabilitative aspects to organize and rebuild interactions” (Kumar & Devasia, 2009, p. 226). For these, the social workers need to identify the problems, the underlying reasons for the social dysfunction and then formulate effective therapeutic strategies and interventions for the well-being of the target group. Social workers need to spend a considerable amount of time with the offenders to build trust and confidence in them. Social workers who render services as probation or parole officers have a responsible role in helping the “youth and adults learn new skills and behaviors that will deter them from committing additional crimes and recommending stricter penalties to the court if they violate probation or parole” (Ambrosino, Heffernan, Shuttlesworth & Ambrosino, 2011, p. 381). In the same way, social workers who work in other correction facilities such as halfway houses or community-based programs also have the responsibility to train their clients in socially acceptable behavioral patterns. One of the great challenges faced by social workers in correctional setting is the rehabilitation of the older population who leave after their term of punishment. Older prisoners who are released will face adjustment problems in community living apart from physical frailty and poor health conditions. It is a great task to bring them back to normal community living as many of them lack family support and financial security. Social workers have an important role in rehabilitating these older populations into safe environments and this call for a number of social services during their reentry into community life. As originally pointed out by Chaiklin (2007) and later cited by Higgins & Severson (2009, p. 788), “the special needs of the older adult inmate population and the commensurate need for services at reentry, such as medical and health care, housing, employment, social, recreational, and other supportive services, necessitate that the social work profession play a larger role.” Today, social services among the older population have become one of the key characteristics of social work practices in correctional setting. However, it is a fact that many social workers prefer other fields of work over correctional facilities as they are not readily accepted by the offender population. Social worker’s preference over certain populations has adversely affected correctional social work to some extent. Gumz (2004) observes how rehabilitation in corrections has given way to the concept of restorative justice that only focuses on the concept of restorative justice. To quote the author’s own words: “the concept of restorative justice that emphasizes assisting victims, communities, and offenders in dealing with the consequences of crime is gaining acceptance in the field of corrections in the United States and in other countries” (Gumz, 2004, p. 449). On the other hand, Clark (2011) argues that there is an observable change in recent decades where one can find social workers reengaging in correctional social work among the offender population. This has marked a reintegration of social work principles to the field of correction. The social worker needs to play the role of a counselor in correction and he can make use of different methods of social work such as individual counseling, casework or group work. The social worker can thus assist individuals, groups and communities to correct their offending behavior. Once the offending behavior of the client is identified he can employ problem-solving techniques and operational concepts for the purpose of correction. In 1999 the National Association of Social Workers in Washington framed a policy statement on Correctional social work. As per the policy the correctional social workers are to offer ‘equitable treatment of all individuals in prisons and jails’, provide ‘access to health care, medications, treatment, and support’, undergo ‘specialized social work training in corrections’, participate in ‘national policy debates on corrections’, engage in social researches on correctional issues and policies and provide humane prevention services to the clients (Gitterman, 2001, p. 363). These policy statements have provided new dimensions to correctional social work and this is likely to bring in more of participation and active involvement of social workers to the field of correction. An effective social worker in corrections needs to perform a number of roles. Generally, a social worker plays the role of a mediator, coordinator, advocate, evaluator, persuader, counselor, and psychologist. In a correctional setting it is the responsibility of the social worker to prepare the clients to cope up with situations and stress; help them identify personal strengths and promote social skills; mediate between the client and family members; identify the behavioral patterns and values of the client and to administer strategies or measures to correct them. All these roles demand certain skills and specialized approaches from the part of the social worker. Champagne (n.d), in this respect, makes clear the various skills demanded of a social worker in correction: “social work positions within corrections encompass a wide range of skills and specialized services, including discharge planning, case management, program delivery, individual/family/group counseling, crisis intervention, negotiation and mediation, teaching, community capacity building, and advocacy (individual and systemic).” All these skills are related to the curative as well as rehabilitative functions of the social worker in correction. Conclusions To conclude, it can be stated that significance of correctional social work practices have immensely increased with the rise of the offender population in the nation. The current scenario necessitates social workers who have specialized knowledge and specific skills in correctional social work. The social workers need to mediate and collaborate with the family members, community, staff in the correctional facilities, and other social service agencies in the correctional process. It is also evident that social workers in corrections need to undertake the roles of counselors, mediators, psychologists, coordinators, advocates, evaluators, and persuaders. Social workers need to keep a constant watch on the offender population, identify the behavioral and antisocial elements among them and through effective interventions they need to bring about desirable social behavioral patterns among them. Correction is an effective tool of social control and it is essential to deal with officially identified lawbreakers and offenders in the society. However, correctional social work aims at the well-being of the offender and the overall good of the community. Similarly, corrections are significant for the smooth functioning of the criminal justice system of the nation and one can never undermine the active role played by correctional social workers in this regard. However, there have not been many authentic studies or researches highlighting the significance of social workers in correctional facilities and this throws light on the need for further researches in this regard. References Ambrosino, R., Heffernan, J., Shuttlesworth, G & Ambrosino, R. (2011). Social Work and Social Welfare: An Introduction (7th ed.). Cengage Learning. Champagne, D. (n.d). Social Work Practice in Corrections. Canadian Association of social workers. Retrieved 17 November 2012 from: http://www.casw-acts.ca/en/social-work-practice-corrections Clark M, P. (2011). Social work and juvenile probation: historical tensions and contemporary convergences. Social Work, 56(4): 355-365. Correctional counselors: roles, work environments, conflicts, and challenges. (n.d). Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Retrieved 17 November 2012, from: http://www.jblearning.com/samples/0763741140/Correctional_Counseling_Chapter_1.pdf Gitterman, A. (2001). Handbook of Social Work Practice With Vulnerable and Resilient Populations (2nd ed.). Columbia University Press. Gumz, E. (2004). American social work, corrections and restorative justice: An appraisal. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 48(4): 449–460. Higgins, Doreen and Severson, Margaret E. (2009). Community Reentry and Older Adult Offenders: Redefining Social Work Roles. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 52 (8): 784-802. Kumar, A & Devasia, V.V. (2009). Social Work Concerns & Challenges in the 21st Century. New Delhi: APH Publishing. Reamer, F. (2004). Social work and criminal justice: The uneasy alliance. Social Work, 23, 213–231. Social Work Services. (n.d). Department: Correctional services Republic of South Africa. Retrieved 18 November 2012 from: http://www.dcs.gov.za/services/SocialWorkServices.aspx Zastrow, C. (2009). Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Empowering People (10th ed.). Cengage Learning. Read More