NCJ Number
75289
Date Published
1981
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This chapter explores the special needs of black offenders who are mentally retarded, married, or elderly, emphasizing that any successful rehabilitation program depends upon seeing people as individuals with unique problems, needs, and abilities.
Abstract
The treatment of black offenders has been the prototype for treatment of black offenders has been the prototype for treatment of minorities in general. Because blacks tend to be evaluated and treated as an undifferentiated, homogeneous unit, this chapter focuses on three generally ignored black subgroups in correctional settings: the mentally retarded, married, and elderly offenders. The challenge with mentally retarded inmates is to reduce the oppressive nature of the prison environment, to keep retarded offenders out of trouble within the institution, and to train them for employment after release. Black married offenders have been the subject of little research, despite the fact that they have always been represented in correctional settings. Programs for married black offenders should emphasize reducing pressure on the wife and increasing her contact with the husband, developing marital and parental coping skills, and if needed, providing divorce counseling. For elderly black inmates, the prison environment may offer more than the world outside, especially if the offender has been in prison a long time. The institution may have to provide for these offenders for the rest of their lives, and a special correctional facility should be provided for these cases. The easier the ex-offender reenters society, the more likely he is to remain outside. The challenge, therefore, is to reduce the conflicts which might hinder an individual's reintegration. Black women offenders comprise less than 10 percent of all offenders, but the needs and concerns of this group are further complicated by uniquely sex-related issues. The chapter includes 29 footnotes.