I believe that a major counseling idea that is important and powerful is understanding inmate’s childhood. Majority of the prison population are from low-income and dysfunctional families which may corelate with being abuse e.g., physically, emotionally, sexually, and/or neglect at a young age. Casarjian (1995) stats, “Severe emotional, physical, and sexual childhood abuse are the training ground for becoming an offender. At the root of most offender behavior is the unhealed anger, rage, grief, guilt, and shame from childhood violence” (p. 41). Understanding inmate’s upbringing and cultural customs plays a huge role in a counseling session. It helps the counselor to establish a plan for its client and comprehend what the client has been through. The idea of …show more content…
Although Casarjian (1995) provided a few exercises for inmates to contact one’s inner child, one stood out the best, which is “writing to your inner child” (p. 52). Counselors should provide inmates a journal; thus, they can express themselves in any way planting a seed in their brain to write about why they feel violent and frustrated. Inmates share their journal writings with their counselor because of the development of a professional relationship between counselor and inmate establishing trust. With journal writings, counselors have more information about the individual’s background and culture, thus allowing them to effectively and efficiently perform their jobs. Through open-minded discussions, inmates can heal their emotional and mental wounds, thus reducing their violent behavior. Casarjian (1995) states, “…after beginning to be there for their own inner child, people start being present for their own children as well” (p. 56). For example, inmates are maintaining family communication, attending parental education and family
The picture this book paints would no doubt bother corrections professionals in prisons where prisoner-staff relationships and officer solidarity are more developed. In training, Conover is told that "the most important thing you can learn here is to communicate with inmates." And the Sing Sing staff who enjoy the most success and fulfillment i...
When envisioning a prison, one often conceptualizes a grisly scene of hardened rapists and murderers wandering aimlessly down the darkened halls of Alcatraz, as opposed to a pleasant facility catering to the needs of troubled souls. Prisons have long been a source of punishment for inmates in America and the debate continues as to whether or not an overhaul of the US prison system should occur. Such an overhaul would readjust the focuses of prison to rehabilitation and incarceration of inmates instead of the current focuses of punishment and incarceration. Altering the goal of the entire state and federal prison system for the purpose of rehabilitation is an unrealistic objective, however. Rehabilitation should not be the main purpose of prison because there are outlying factors that negatively affect the success of rehabilitation programs and such programs would be too costly for prisons currently struggling to accommodate additional inmate needs.
Eddy, J., C.R., M., Schiffmann, T., Newton, R., Olin, L., Leve, L., et al. (2008). Development of a multisystemic parent management training intervention for incarcerated parents, their children and families. Clinical Psychologist , 86-98.
When people think of reform movements, they often look for one key sign, and ask one key question of whether that the reform was a success. Did the reform create a lasting change in the way people view the institution that was reformed? All the great reformation movements, from Horace Mann and his education reforms, to Martin Luther, and the Protestant Reformation, to the civil rights movement, all created lasting change in the minds of the average person. One other reform, often overlooked historically is the Prison Reform movement. As the world shifted from 18th to 19th century ways of life, many key aspects of life underwent tremendous change. As the United States gained their independence from Britain and began to shape their own identity, the reforms and revolutions that occurred in this infantile stage of its history played an immeasurable impact on the future of the entire country, with the most notable and impact reform being the reformation of prisons from the 1820s until 1860.
Underwood, L., Phillips, A., von Dresner, K. & Knight, P (2006) Critical Factors in Mental Health Programming for Juveniles in Corrections Facilities, International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 2 (1), 107 - 131
The counseling session should be centered on the client and their understanding of their world and/or problems not heavily weighted on the counselor interpretation of the client’s situation. The role of the counselor is to examine a problem needs changing and discover options in overcoming their problem. Bringing about change can help change the client’s narrative on their problem in the future and/or on life in the process.
Thousands of people statewide are in prisons, all for different reasons. However, the amount of mental illness within prisons seems to go unaddressed and ignored throughout the country. This is a serious problem, and the therapy/rehabilitation that prison systems have do not always help those who are mentally ill. Prison involvement itself can contribute to increased suicide (Hills, Holly). One ‘therapy’ that has increased throughout the years has been the use of solitary confinement, which has many negative effects on the inmates.
...(2004). Applying the principles of effective intervention to juvenile correctional programs. Corrections Today, 66(7), 26-29. Retrieved from http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4bd9d7f2-8ac5-42c6-a100-a2443eda9cbf@sessionmgr4002&vid=1&hid=4213
The current prison and criminal justice system has not proven to be helpful in rehabilitating offenders and preventing recidivism. To successfully alter this situation it is important to understand what steps and measures are available to assist those who find themselves imprisoned. The techniques used in cognitive behavioral therapy have proven to be effective in treating depression, anxiety and drug addictions among other things. Analyzing the techniques developed in cognitive behavioral theory and applying them to psychotherapy in prison environments can assist in making improvements in the prevention of criminal activity, rates of incarceration and safety and security of the general population. The literature shows that the use of cognitive behavioral therapy has been effective in the treatment of a variety of criminal offenders.
The client is leading the conversation by stating what their biggest concerns are currently in their life. They verbalize the concerns and issues that need changed in their lives. The counselor is there to be empathic to the client and establish a relationship with them. This part of the interview is where the client decides if the counselor is right for them, if not, then the client moves on to another
The counselor accomplishes the above by expressing empathy, developing discrepancies, going along with resistance and supporting self-efficacy. Moreover, the counselor guides the client toward a solution that will lead to permanent posi...
for youngsters who have a long history of convictions for less serious felonies for which the juvenile court disposition has not been effective” (qtd. in Katel).
Many people idealized the relevancy of living in a civilized world, where those who break the law are reprimanded in a less traditional sense of punishment in today’s standard. Instead of just doing hard time, programs and services could and should be provided to reform and rehabilitate prisoner. Despite standard beliefs, many individuals in prison are not harden criminals and violent offenders, many of these people suffer mental illness and substance abuse Hoke
...counselor want to make sure that the counselor provides the best services possible. The retrieval of new information is valuable when trying to make a diagnosis. For a clinical and therapeutic plan to be developing the biographical information that the client provided, direct therapist observations, and data from specific psychological tests is what help to determine the treatment plan.
The Unrecorded Punishment on Prisoners Abuse of any kind, physical, sexual, mental, is known and condoned by nearly every American in the nation. If abuse has taken place through any form, the majority of the time the case is publicized by the media, and the story is mass circulated. But what about the minority of the cases that take place in a less media-monitored setting, such as prisons, jails, and juvenile detention centers? A high number of civilians do not realize how frequent abuse takes place in these environments, and the severity of the cases are usually underestimated. Reality is, nearly every form of abuse is bestowed upon inmates by their “guards” as they serve their sentence, and the abuse can cause detrimental and life-threatening