NCJ Number
49125
Date Published
1975
Length
5 pages
Annotation
AN ACTIVIST INTERVENTIONIST ROLE IS ADVOCATED FOR CORRECTIONAL PERSONNEL FOR THE PURPOSE OF CHANGING THE ATTITUDES AND HABITS OF OFFENDERS.
Abstract
THE NONPUNITIVE, ACCEPTING, NONJUDGMENTAL, NONDIRECTIVE, NONINTERVENTIONIST STANCE TOWARD OFFENDERS RECOMMENDED BY SOME BEHAVIORAL SCIENTISTS IS CONSIDERED INEFFECTIVE IN BRINGING ABOUT SPECIFIC CHANGES IN THE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR OF MOST OFFENDERS. IT IS BELIEVED THAT A CORRECTIONS WORKER MUST BE ACTIVE IN INFLUENCING AN OFFENDER BY ENCOURAGEMENT, SETTING UP ACHIEVEMENT GOALS, MAKING TIMELY SUGGESTIONS, CAPITALIZING ON INTERESTS, AND INTERPRETING SITUATIONS. IT IS ARGUED THAT THERE ARE TWO VERY STRONGLY SUPPORTED THEORIES OF BEHAVIOR IN SOCIAL WORK WHICH MUST BE REVISED BEFORE RECASTING ATTITUDES, HABITS, AND VALUES: THE 'NEEDS' HYPOTHESIS, WHICH MAINTAINS THAT WHEN A PERSON'S ORGANISMIC EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL NEEDS ARE MET, BEHAVIOR CEASES TO BE DESTRUCTIVE; AND THE HYPOTHESIS OF HIDDEN PURPOSE IN BEHAVIOR, WHICH MAINTAINS THAT BEHAVIOR IS AN UNCONSCIOUS PROJECTION OF THE MECHANISMS OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS EMOTIONAL LIFE. THESE THEORIES ARE BELIEVED TO DIMINISH THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUSING UPON CHANGE IN THE CONSCIOUS ATTITUDES AND VALUES HELD BY THE OFFENDER. IN ADDITION TO UNDERSTANDING THE BACKGROUND HISTORY AND NEEDS OF THE PERSON, IT IS INDICATED THAT SPECIAL ATTENTION MUST BE GIVEN TO UNDERSTANDING THE ATTITUDES AND LIFE HABITS OF THE CLIENT, SINCE THESE ARE THE ITEMS WHICH ARE CONSIDERED TO NEED REFASHIONING BY THE TECHNIQUES OF IMPLANTATION. (RCB)