Inmate Assessment Measurement Analysis

Assessment Tools
The biggest areas of concern for releasing inmates appear to be lack of social support, lack of medical support and lack of community resources to regain a place in society (education, employment, housing, transportation). Multiple measures would need to be used to find the appropriate treatment plan for each inmate.
Ideally starting with a pre-release program to prepare inmates for reentry into normal life would be the best preventative measure. A social worker could use a genogram with the inmate to establish positive and negative relationships to draw support from, either for housing, transportation, or moral support. The genogram would allow a visual for the social worker and inmate to discuss ways to contact these positive supports, and ways to steer clear of the negative supports. The genogram would also allow the social worker to assess the risks and needs of the inmate. Within this pre-release program the social worker would need permission to view all known medical history and suggest that the inmate asks for copies to either bring with him upon release or to mail to a trusted support on the outside. Having these medical documents will help identify what medical needs are going to need to be established once outside of prison and right away to prevent any lapse between medication and treatment.
Through behavioral observation the social worker would need to note any concerns of medical (physical, mental or emotional) observed for further evaluation; especially if the inmate has no prior medical notes in the prison.
Since employment is a big stressor among released inmates it would be beneficial to conduct a strengths and skills assessment with the inmate.
This assessment would guide the inmate to fill out all skills and strengths he has to not only build his self-esteem but to also allow a tool to recognize potential job opportunities as well as to use on a resume. Through this assessment we could open up the opportunity to discuss prior employment and to also document this. With the inmate and access to the prison library the social worker would work together to build a resume that will also be copied and mailed to a trusted source or saved for
release.
If a social worker was meeting the inmate after release of prison they would work with the same tools but in a quicker manner to meet the needs of the inmate where he is at that point. However, if there is no medical history from the prison or prior life the social worker would need to use a medical questionnaire to spot any health concerns worth looking into further. The social worker might also suggest and help set up a medical appointment with a general practitioner.
The social worker may have to read each assessment question to the inmate to make sure they understand the assessment and give them examples to help initiate the work. If there were any concern as to illiteracy the social worker would find a literacy program for the inmate in the community. The same steps would be taken if the inmate does not have a GED.
What might need to be different or adapted to accurately assess and intervene with this population?
As stated above, 60% of inmates are rearrested for a new crime, 45% reconvicted, and 40% return to custody for a new crime or parole violation. (Ostermann & Caplan, 2016).What is being done now is not working. To stop recidivism we need to put into place proper evidence based practice interventions prior to being released to help prepare these inmates for life outside. For inmates that have been released without preparation we need to find them and help them find the resources they need, establish their role in society, and build positive supports around them.
Lobbying for these effective programs to be established in every prison and proper funding to be allotted is a start to help released inmates. States do want to allocate the funds for inmate release programs; however, with proper treatment programs it would actually save them money in the long end because these inmates would not be returning.
Inmates need to be looked at in a completely new light. They have convicted a crime and are in prison now. “Incarceration is the optimal time to provide offenders with the skills and tools necessary to re-enter society” (Huynh, Hall, Hurst, & Bikos, 2015;2014, pg. 1007). We need to intervene while we have these inmates in prison to break old habits, to form new healthy coping patterns, to build their self-esteem, and to establish support systems and medical treatments that will sustain once released so they do not come back to prison.

How might practice evaluation strategies look for this population?
We will know these intervention strategies are successful by assessing the rates of recidivism over the years and compare to recidivism after the appropriate interventions are in place. If we have a decrease in recidivism we have made an impact, if not, we need to reevaluate and find what to change. Either way these inmates are in prison for a reason, not by choice, but by circumstance, or mental disorder, or being in the wrong place at the right time, or sadly; desperation. Success would be if we can take these inmates coming in as broken and help them learn to put their pieces back together and return back to society as one whole productive person and not return to prison.