1.4: Rehabilitation
Overall, rehabilitation efforts have had poor results when measured by looking at recidivism rates. Those that the criminal justice system tried to help tend to reoffend at about the same rate as those who serve prison time without any kind of treatment. Advocates of rehabilitation point out that past efforts failed because they were underfunded, ill-conceived, or poorly executed.
There has been a significant trend among prisons today to return to the rehabilitative model. However, this new effort has been guided by “evidence-based” treatment models which requires treatment providers to demonstrate their programs offer significant improvement in recidivism rates. This movement begins during incarceration with programs designed to address specific needs of the offenders. As the offender gets closer to his release date, the focus shifts to reintegrating him or her into society. Prison case managers work with the offender to locate resources available to the offender in the community, work on relationships with families and develop employment opportunities in order for the offender to be a productive member of society. Upon release, the offender often receives support from their probation or parole officer who provides supervision, treatment resources, and employment information.