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Prison and Social Services

NCJ Number
87266
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 55 Issue: 4 Dated: (October-December 1982) Pages: 345-354
Author(s)
D P King
Date Published
1982
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article discusses treatment processes in British prisons, including coordination of services, reception and quarantine activities, and classification procedures.
Abstract
Treatment services within an institution, while planned and coordinated by the social service department, involve custodial staff, who must similarly share certain treatment responsibilities. In many British correctional institutions, custody and social services are each headed by a deputy warden or assistant superintendent. Areas of special interest to social services could include reception and quarantine activities, records and identification, case records, inmate welfare, counseling and guidance, classification, mail and visiting, release planning, liaison with the parole board and parole staff, and working relationships with the psychiatrist, psychologists, and chaplains. To lessen the shock of imprisonment and hasten adjustment to institutional living, reception procedures have been developed. The reception center is a place of detention pending completion of the social, medical, and classification studies. Upon completion of these studies, the inmate is transferred to the institution which best meets his needs for security, treatment, and training. With the material contained in the admission summary, the social services department channels the case to the classification committee for an initial determination of the program to be followed during confinement. In the classification process, the inmate is consulted about his thinking as to how he can best profit from his confinement. Prison social workers maintain contact with inmates to determine how they are progressing in their treatment programs and assist with any problems that may develop. Ongoing social work includes reclassification, counseling, introduction of the inmate to new programs, and helping the inmate with any domestic problems that may arise while he is in prison. All correctional personnel are trained in treatment goals and general treatment procedures, so they may understand how their particular functions contribute to treatment goals. Fifteen references are listed.

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