Download The Correctional Client

Chapter 6
The Correctional
Client
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
types of offenders
long-term
elderly
situational
AIDS
career
special
correctional
populations
mentally
handicapped
sex
substance
abuser
mentally ill
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“situational
offender”
definition
a
person who in a particular set of
circumstances has violated the
law, but who is not given to
criminal behavior in normal
circumstances and is unlikely to
repeat the offense
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“career criminal”
definition
a
person who sees crime as a
way of earning a living, who has
numerous contacts with the
criminal justice system over time,
and who may view the criminal
sanction as a normal part of life
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“sex offender”
definition
a
person who has committed a
sexual act prohibited by law,
such as rape, child molestation,
or prostitution, for economic,
psychological, and even
situational reasons
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“substance
abuser - drugs”
definition
a
person whose use of illegal
chemical substances disrupts
normal living patterns to the
extent that social problems
develop, often leading to
criminal behavior
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
drugs and crime
% of convicted jail inmates (for selected offenses)
who committed their offense to support a drug habit
% of total inmates
35%
32%
31%
30%
24%
25%
19%
20%
15%
13%
14%
12%
10%
5%
0%
total
offenses
total
violent
robbery
total
property
burglary
total
drugs
trafficking
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“substance
abuser - alcohol”
definition
a
person whose use of alcohol is
difficult to control, disrupting
normal living patterns and
frequently leading to violations of
the law while the person in under
the influence of alcohol or
attempting to secure it
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“mentally ill
offender”
definition
a
“disturbed” person whose
criminal behavior may be traced
to diminished or otherwise
abnormal capacity to think or
reason as a result of
psychological or neurological
disturbance
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“deinstitutionalization”
definition
 the
massive release of mental
patients from mental hospitals
and their return to the
community
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“mentally
handicapped offender”
definition
a
person whose limited mental
development prevents their
adjustment to the rules of society
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“AIDS offenders”

definition
persons who in the course of their lives
inside or outside of prison have contracted
the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
and/or developed its full-blown
symptomatic stage -- acquired immune
deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
issues
prevention
housing
medical
care
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“elderly offender”
definition
 older
offenders are becoming an
increasingly significant part of the
correctional population
 WHY?
 citizenry are getting older
 sentences are getting longer
 ISSUES:
 health (cost = $69,000/yr. for inmate > 60)
 “institutionalization” is dramatic for elderly
 elderly pose a less serious risk upon release;
so they are often released early
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“long term offender”
definition
 increasingly,
offenders are doing longer
terms, creating same problems as those
related to “elderly offenders”
 1st-time offenders do an average of 22 mo.
 11 - 15% will serve > 7 yr.
 24% will serve > 25 yr.
 9% will serve life
 ISSUES:
 elderly problems
 create meaningful living
 maintain contact with outside
world
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
“classification
systems”

definition
specific sets of objective criteria-such as offense history, previous
experience in the justice system, &
substance abuse patterns--are applied
to all inmates to determine
appropriate institutional housing
and treatment programs
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
Correctional classification
classification
criteria
commitment
offense
social &
political
pressures!
program &
treatment
needs
risk of
future crime
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th
debate over
classification criteria
program
treatment
needs
how to help the
offender
vs.
institutional
control
needs
how to manage
the institution
Clear & Cole, American Corrections, 6th