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Strategies for Maintaining Social Service Programs in Jails

NCJ Number
83176
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 46 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1982) Pages: 55-57
Author(s)
H Weiss
Date Published
1982
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Strategies for maintaining social service programs in jails in the face of competition for limited public resources are proposed.
Abstract
One strategy associated with the successful implementation of jail social service programs is to use judicial decisions or the threat of class action suits to further improvements in the jails and in community-based programs. By appealing to trends in judicial decisions that mandate jail reform, reform advocates have leverage to prod community officials and influential groups to adopt changes. A second strategy involves deemphasizing the concept of rehabilitation in promoting social service programs. Because the use of the term rehabilitation implies that jail programs can reform criminals, a goal not likely to be achieved, jail social service programs should be presented as having more specific, practical, and obtainable goals, such as reducing inmate idle time and lessening the likelihood of riots; allowing inmates to work and earn money, so they can provide for themselves and their families and thus reduce the need for public assistance; and the provision of education, vocational training, and job placement, so offfenders may rely upon normative means of obtaining income rather than criminal endeavors. A third strategy is to emphasize the spiraling and exorbitant cost of incarceration in comparison to the cost of community-based alternatives. By this thrust in public education, citizens become aware that increasing incarceration increases taxes. A fourth strategy is to develop a broad-based campaign of reaching out for external resources. Eight references are listed.