Free Custom «Correctional Program» Essay Paper

A correctional program is a schedule that the government or any other institution can create in an attempt to rehabilitate individuals who may have been unlawful such as criminals. There are certain forms of addictions that people may find it hard to quit. For instance, it is often hard for some people to stop using drugs and substance that are harmful to these individuals. On such instances, there is a need for governments and rehabilitation centers to create or formulate models of programs that will help criminals in adjusting to normal citizens in the society. Don Andrews came up with certain governing principles that such institutions should use in the construction of programs for reforming criminals (Edward J. Latessa, 2011).

In this article, we will use these guiding principles to create a model of a program that addresses issues of substance abuse and mental health in a society.

The first principle requires that the program or model consider the risk of the offenders. In the context, risk is the probability that the offender will involve himself in an offence for another time. Under substance and drug abuse, there are high chances that individuals who abuse drugs and substance indulge in the vice if they get a chance. In the correction program, we propose the enactment of strict and harsh penalties for individuals who indulge in drug and substance abuse after serving the first legal punishment. This is a provision that will prevent people from relapsing in their rehabilitation processes. The main target of this provision in the model will be the high-risk offenders who have a high probability of rehabilitation relapse (ANDREWS, 2008).

 

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The other principle that Andrews proposed is the need. According to Andrews, a program should respond to the criminogenic needs of the offenders rather than the non-criminogenic needs. Criminogenic needs are those needs that are likely to induce the offender into conducting the criminal offence. Under substance and drug abuse, the model should involve providing individuals with alternative activities that will keep the offenders busy. It is evident that most abusers of drugs and substance often do it out of idleness and stress. Thus, the program should have an avenue of extracting the core issues that affect the offender in their social life. This will help in structuring effective measures to curb the problems, which will consequently keep offenders from drugs and substance abuse (Latessa, 2011).

The other principle that Don Andrews suggested in a correction program is responsivity. Responsivity requires that the model should be responsive to the behavior change. For instance, the model should be consistent to the ability and learning style of the offender. It should also consider that offenders might not be responsive to all measures. In a program to deal with drugs and substance abuse, the program should constitute different remedies for different levels of addiction to different drugs. For example, a program for offenders who have not reached high levels of addiction may involve educating them on the harms and effects of excessive drug and substance abuse. However, for offenders who have high addiction levels, the program should involve a slow and effective rehabilitation program (ANDREWS, 2008).

The last principle that Andrews suggested is that of professional discretion. The decision on the correction program should be in line with present conditions. After considering risk, responsivity and need, the model should also consider the prevailing factors. For instance, a program to deal with drug and substance abuse should consider prevailing factors such as the availability of the drug and the prevailing government legislation on drug and substance abuse.