Rehabilitation
Offenders with Special Needs
CJA 234
June 3, 2013
Mitchell Jessip
Offenders with Special Needs
When people think of the offender population all they may picture is a healthy person in his or her 20’s or 30’s. People never think about the fact prisons house juvenile offenders, drug addicts, mentally ill, aging offenders, violent and sex offenders. The reality is that correctional staff deal with these issues on a daily basis. Special offenders are those offenders whose circumstances, condition, or behaviors require management or treatment outside the normal approach to supervision (Seiter, 2011). The problems that the special needs offenders have may come from some type of physical problem, infectious disease, a mental disorder, a history of sexual assaults, and or age. Whatever the need it requires the attention of a trained professional.
Juvenile Offenders
Currently, all states allow juveniles to waive the right to be tried in a juvenile court. There are three approaches for housing offenders under the age of 18 in state correctional facilities. The straight adult incarceration places juveniles in an adult prison, with no separate housing, job assignments or programs. Although juvenile offenders are housed in adult prisons, most states choose to house juveniles in separate housings units as well as place them in different programs from adult offenders. The graduated incarceration, initially places juveniles in under age 18 facilities. Upon completion of their 18th birthday, if the juvenile still has to compete his or her sentence than they are transferred to an adult correctional facility. Finally, the segregated incarceration. Though juveniles are in adult correctional facilities, they remain separated from adults. Juveniles and adult offenders will never cross paths while in the same facility.
Many correctional officers are opposed to have juveniles being housed the same facility as adults. Trying to maintain separation of the two
CJA 234
June 3, 2013
Mitchell Jessip
Offenders with Special Needs
When people think of the offender population all they may picture is a healthy person in his or her 20’s or 30’s. People never think about the fact prisons house juvenile offenders, drug addicts, mentally ill, aging offenders, violent and sex offenders. The reality is that correctional staff deal with these issues on a daily basis. Special offenders are those offenders whose circumstances, condition, or behaviors require management or treatment outside the normal approach to supervision (Seiter, 2011). The problems that the special needs offenders have may come from some type of physical problem, infectious disease, a mental disorder, a history of sexual assaults, and or age. Whatever the need it requires the attention of a trained professional.
Juvenile Offenders
Currently, all states allow juveniles to waive the right to be tried in a juvenile court. There are three approaches for housing offenders under the age of 18 in state correctional facilities. The straight adult incarceration places juveniles in an adult prison, with no separate housing, job assignments or programs. Although juvenile offenders are housed in adult prisons, most states choose to house juveniles in separate housings units as well as place them in different programs from adult offenders. The graduated incarceration, initially places juveniles in under age 18 facilities. Upon completion of their 18th birthday, if the juvenile still has to compete his or her sentence than they are transferred to an adult correctional facility. Finally, the segregated incarceration. Though juveniles are in adult correctional facilities, they remain separated from adults. Juveniles and adult offenders will never cross paths while in the same facility.
Many correctional officers are opposed to have juveniles being housed the same facility as adults. Trying to maintain separation of the two