Development and Administration of a Correctional Internship Program - A model

• NCJ Number: 72203
• Journal: Federal Probation Volume: 43 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1979) Pages: 42-49
• Author(s): J L Schrink
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article proposes a general model for developing and administering a correctional internship program that can be altered to meet the unique circumstances of most correctional agencies.

Abstract

Before accepting the first intern from any university, a program should be carefully planned and documented. A correctional administrator, one or more of the staff, and a university coordinator should jointly document an internship program. Program documentation should include the major purposes and benefits of the program, the types of activities and projects to be performed by interns, the number and types of students, the duration of the program, the mechanics of the program, names, addresses, and telephone numbers of major parties in the internship, and the specific responsibilities of the placement, the intern, and the university. Agency staff support must be recruited. And in recruiting the interns, a careful procedure of prescreening, collecting student resumes, conducting a placement interview, making a final selection, and introducing the intern to the agency must be followed. A student file should be developed that is open to the agency, the liaison, and the student. Orientation must be a critical phase of the program, involving a tour of the agency, introductions to the staff, and to the clientele. Other aspects are familiarization with the handbook, rules, regulations, dress codes, insurance and liability coverage requirements, and agency philosophy. Students must plan their priorities (goals and objectives) before beginning work, establishing them with the help of the liaison and coordinator. A daily activity schedule should be developed and a log for accounting for time and activities. Meetings should be held between the intern and the agency, and between the intern and the university. Examinations, term papers, and termination interviews should be required, with the agency offering recommendations for the student's grade. Finally, a self-evaluation paper is recommended, together with selected readings for the intern.