Introduction
A correction facility is a jail, prison, or any other facility that houses offenders who have been arrested, detained, or convicted by a criminal justice agency or court. As a branch of the correctional facilities, community-based correctional facilities, where convicts are made to serve their terms within the community, were developed to facilitate the work of correction facilities. Community-based correction facilities are an essential component of the criminal justice system, providing an alternative to incarceration for non-violent offenders. These facilities offer a range of programs and services designed to help offenders reintegrate into the community, address the root causes of their criminal behavior and reduce the likelihood of reoffending (Auty & Liebling, 2020). Overall, community-based correction facilities are essential to the criminal justice system because they offer a more cost-effective, rehabilitative, and community-focused approach to dealing with non-violent offenders. This way, the chances of reoffending are minimized due to community support.
Several programs are available for offenders in the United States; substance abuse treatment is a leading program because many offenders struggle with drug abuse. Therefore, this program is designed to help them overcome addiction (Auty & Liebling, 2020). The second program is mental health treatment programs that help offenders deal with their condition and reduce the risk of reoffending. Educational and vocational programs are designed to help offenders gain new skills and improve their job prospects to make their return to society seamless. Another vital program offered is the reentry program, which helps offenders transition back into society after being released. These programs may include housing assistance, job training, counseling, and other types of support. Overall, the programs provided for offenders in the United States are varied. They are vital in helping them undress the underlying issues that contribute to criminal behavior, develop new skills, and successfully reintegrate into society.
Issues Facing Correctional Facilities
Most of the challenges facing correction facilities lead them to depend on community-based correction programs. One of the significant challenges is overcrowding which leads to a strain on the management and may lead to increased violence, reduced access to services, inadequately addressed health needs, and a lack of offender programming (Emerson et al., 2023). Having this problem, having a community-based correction program will help decongest the jails and prisons. By allowing some offenders to serve their sentence in the community, fewer offenders will be in prisons, enabling more quality services.
High recidivism rates are another challenge facing correction facilities. Recidivism s the tendency of offenders to reoffend; the leading cause of recidivism is the need for proper support to re-enter the community successfully. When released offenders lack the skills to cope in a relatively new environment, they are most likely to return to their old ways. Therefore, community-based correction programs retrieve their importance from this. They provide counselling programs and training for seamlessly integrating skills into the community.
Categories of Community-Based Correction Programs
Probation is the most common community-based correction in the United States. It allows offenders to remain in the community while supervised by the probation officer. The conditions for probation include treatment programs, drug testing, and community service. The other category is parole which is similar to probation but is a form of early release from prison. Examples include; standard parole, which allows inmates to be released before the end of their sentence under specific conditions, and reentry parole, designed for inmates who have served longer sentences that prepare them for reentry into the community. Lastly is community service, where offenders are allowed to make restitution to their community by performing unpaid work.
Determination of Community-Based Correction Program Effectiveness
Various metrics and information can be looked at to determine the effectiveness of a community-based correction program. These include the following; recidivism rates, which is one of the primary measures. Lower recidivism rates among participants indicate that the program was successful. Lower recidivism rates are the most extraordinary measure because it encompasses all the sectors under correction programs. Secondly is employment and education; to successfully re-enter the community, one has to find a job or pursue education hence is used as a measure of program success by assessing the number of program participants who get employed or enroll in educational programs.
Third is substance use; this being a major contributor to criminal behavior, having a more significant number of program participants who remain abstinent from substance use is a measure of success (Brown, 2022). Lastly and most importantly, participant satisfaction is crucial to get the participants’ perspectives about the program. This can be a valuable tool to measure success and identify improvement areas. When their satisfaction is gauged, not only do they provide insight as to what needs to be improved and what needs to be changed.
Needs Analysis
Given the current state of New British Columbia, the crime rate is high, and the recidivism rate is also at 78%, which is high. These statistics show how correctional facilities are getting overwhelmed with dealing with offenders. Having an overcrowded facility with few staff is not effective in correcting offenders. Therefore, there is a need to integrate effective community-based correction institutions to help with the problem in New British Columbia.
An effective community-based correction program in New British Columbia will be essential for the correction facilities. First and most importantly, it will reduce the overcrowding situation. This reduction in inmates will be made possible because community-based correction programs will enable some inmates to serve their sentences in society through probation and others to get released before the end of their sentence through parole, thus ensuring low numbers in the correction facilities. In connection to that, a reduction in overcrowding will ensure that inmates receive better services, thus increasing the chances of behavior change within them due to increased quality of individual attention. Additionally, community-based correction facilities will provide services such as counselling, training of skills, and many more. These will effectively ensure seamless reentry into the community, thus reducing recidivism rates.
The recidivism rate in New British Columbia is high. Therefore, it suggests that the offenders are released from prison without support, thus making it hard to reintegrate into society, thus leading to the tendency of reoffending. Therefore, community-based correction programs are vital as they provide job training, educational opportunities, substance abuse treatment, and mental health counselling. They ensure individuals address the behaviors that lead to criminal behavior and develop the skills and tools they need to lead a productive, law-binding life, thus, a successful reentry into the community. The programs that have been effective in other states include release furloughs, parole work release, probation and halfway houses study (Brown, 2022). These programs can be introduced in New British Columbia to ensure effective community-based correction programs.
Reentry
To ensure that the transition from a correction facility to society is seamless, some practices such as housing assistance, employment opportunities, substance abuse programs, and many more must be in place. Under housing assistance, it may be difficult for ex-offenders to secure housing due to their criminal record, lack of income, and other barriers. Homelessness and unstable housing could increase recidivism rates (Rocker, 2022). Housing assistance, therefore, helps to provide a stable living condition, which provides a sense of safety and stability, enabling individuals to focus on other aspects of their lives. Housing assistance also addresses the stigma of crime posed on ex-convicts by landlords during the quest to find a house (Rocker, 2022). Secondly, employment assistance can aid in successful reentry; this can be done by providing them with job training, career counseling, and job placement services. In the United States, a department called the Texas Department of Criminal Justice assists offenders in finding jobs by collaborating with employers.
Lastly, substance abuse assistance also aids in ensuring successful reentry. Substance abuse is a critical component of criminal activity. Helping offenders stay free from addiction is critical in preventing recidivism (Baker et al., 2023). In Massachusetts, the Department of Correction has a Substance Abuse Treatment program. It provides various treatments, including counselling, group therapy, and medication-assisted treatment (Baker et al., 2023). These modalities are designed to help offenders continue their treatment and maintain their recovery. For New British Columbia, given drug and alcohol-related offenses, breaking, and property crimes, the primary practices, as explained above, are housing assistance, substance abuse assistance, and employment assistance. These programs will significantly reduce recidivism rates due to stability.
Conclusion and Recommendations
New British Columbia has recently improved the services of community-based correctional facilities. They have increased the number of mental and substance abuse support days to 90 days (Bains, 2022). To improve this, they need to implement strategies to ensure the ex-convicts adhere to the regimen provided. Additionally, the number of days should be tailored according to the needs of the offenders, as the needs are different for each person. For these changes to be implemented, short-term challenges, such as the cost of implementation, will be experienced (Bains, 2022). A shortage of human resources will also be experienced, but these short-term problems will be resolved with time. In the long run, the correction facilities will be relieved, and the recidivism rates will have reduced significantly.
For more effective CBCPs, more resources must be allocated to the department. Monetary and human resources are vital factors in ensuring the program’s success. These resources will ensure that everything runs smoothly, and more programs will be instituted to promote success rates the programs. What should be introduced in the community-based correction facilities is counselling for the officers. When the mental wellness of the officers facilitating the program is taken care of, it increases the rate of success.
Additionally, providing research-driven solutions is a new way to improve the quality of programs under CBCPs. Challenges like staff reception to the changes and financial constraints will be faced. In the long run, this new and improved program will provide wholesome results. The offenders will successfully transition into the community through the extensive programs, and the officers availing the services will be satisfied with their jobs, ensuring retention and a better workflow.
References
Auty, K. & Liebling, A. (2020). Exploring the relationship between prison social climate and reoffending. Justice Quarterly, 37(2), 358-381. Web.
Bains, C. (2022). B.C. announces new addiction and mental health supports for people leaving jail—the Canadian Press. Web.
Baker, O., Wellington, C., Price, R., Tracey, D., & Sara. L. (2023). Experience delivering an integrated service model to people with criminal justice system involvement and housing security. BMC Public Health, 3(1), 1–10. Web.
Brown, T. (2022). The effectiveness of mental health services for youth in Los Angeles county’s juvenile justice facilities. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. 9(1), 15–28. Web.
Emerson, A., Monica, E., Onyeali, R., Howell, B. & Keith, D. (2023). The case of transitional services and programs for older adults re-entering the society: a narrative review of U.S. departments of correction and recommendations. International Journal of Prisoner Health.
Rocker, L. (2022). The effect of parenthood on reentry outcomes: A consideration of gender and parent-child relationship quality. The Florida State University. Web.