The Perceptions and Needs of Criminal Justice Practitioners Working to Promote Smart Decarceration

Background and Purpose: The social work Grand Challenge to Promote Smart Decarceration’s aim is to address the high rates of incarceration in the United States. To support this aim, the field needs the skills, knowledge, and efforts of individuals who work within the criminal justice system, and in particular those who work within correctional facilities, such as prisons or jails. Yet, it is not clear what resources, training, and/or other supports criminal justice practitioners (CJPs) require to help clients develop the connections and skills necessary to be successful upon release. This research project had two aims. The first was to gather input from CJPs regarding what services people who are incarcerated need during incarceration and how effective CJPs perceive the current services to be. The second aim was to learn from CJPs what they need professionally in terms of training, resources, and knowledge to increase their capacity to support their clients.

Method: In this exploratory study, CJPs in correctional facilities (n=38), responded to an online survey asking them about their perceptions of the services they provide and to identify their professional needs working within these settings. The data were derived from questions developed by members of the Promote Smart Decarceration Practice Working Group and were divided into three sections: 1) needs of people in prison during intake, treatment/rehabilitation phase, and pre-release; 2) their views about the effectiveness of those interventions during each of three phases of incarceration; and 3) what resources they need as practitioners during each of the three phases to promote successful re-entry. There were quantitative and qualitative questions that allowed for open-ended responses for each section.

Results: Findings indicate people who are incarcerated need to have access to treatment for substance use, behavioral/mental health, and trauma-related issues. In addition, CJPs reported the need for service coordination with agencies based in their home communities. Overall, the participants did not perceive that the services they offered were effective in meeting the needs of people in prison due a lack of service coordination, program and organizational issues, including staffing needs. Furthermore, the participants reported they need more training and support on assessment/diagnosis, mental health treatments, and care coordination in order to provide effective services to their clients.

Conclusions and Implications: Practice implications include the need: for more services to help those who are incarcerated manage issues related to mental health, substance use, and trauma; to adopt a trauma-informed care (TIC) approach; to develop more services focused on post-release, such as vocational and educational services; for increased collaboration and strategic partnerships consistent with the aims of smart decarceration; and more training and resources to provide services consistent with the goals of decarceration. Future research implications include the importance of hearing from those who have been incarcerated, exploring what works for whom and in what conditions, and examining other response strategies, including diversion programs. Policy implications include the importance of primary (i.e. building stronger families), secondary (i.e. early intervention with at risk families and communities), and tertiary prevention strategies (i.e. desistance interventions).