NCJ Number
75180
Date Published
1979
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Suggestions are offered for improving the individualization of treatment in India's prisons.
Abstract
Qualified correctional workers who can scientifically classify inmates for treatment according to their characteristics and needs should be increased. The classification of correctional institutions as maximum security, medium security, and minimum security, and the division of inmates among them according to sentence, should cease. Inmates with similar treatment requirements should be sent to the institutions that can meet their needs. The data necessary for a scientific assessment of an inmates personality and needs should be available to the prison caseworker. Such information could appropriately be obtained by probation departments. A classification committee composed of prison personnel and behavioral scientists is required for proper individualization in the classification of inmates. The implementation of the recommendations of the classification committee requires the use of qualified vocational and educational personnel who have a basic knowledge of the behavioral sciences, including criminology. In the interests of inmate treatment, benefits under furlough and parole should be expanded, and aftercare services should be further developed and should include the provision of adequate financial resources for the ex-inmate upon release.