NCJ Number
69018
Date Published
1979
Length
20 pages
Annotation
SET UP AS PART OF THE BRITISH HOME OFFICE RESEARCH UNIT'S EXPERIMENTAL UNIT, THE DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT UNIT (DTU) HAS, IN AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE MORE INTENSIVE AND MATCHED TREATMENT FOR OFFENDERS, MOVED TO TASK-CENTERED CASEWORK.
Abstract
IN THE EXPERIMENT BEGINNING IN 1972 NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND AFTER 1 YEAR BETWEEN DTU CLIENTS AND A CONTROL GROUP IN RECONVICTION RATES. THOUGH THIS FAILURE MAY BE EXPLAINED BY THE LACK OF DEVELOPMENT OF RADICALLY NEW FORMS OF TREATMENT, MANY STAFF MEMBERS FELT THAT THEIR EXPERIMENTAL WORK WAS WORTHWHILE AND HAVE IMPLEMENTED MANY OF THE TREATMENT METHODS THEY DEVELOPED, SUCH AS PAIRED WORKING, CONJOINT MARITAL WORK, FAMILY THERAPY, AND OUTDOOR PURSUITS, IN ALL OF WHICH TEAM WORK WAS EMPHASIZED. OVERALL, IT WAS FOUND THAT INTENSIVE CASEWORK NEEDS BOUNDARIES IF IT IS NOT TO OVERWHELM BOTH OFFICER AND CLIENT. IN 1975, THE DTU UNDERWENT A FEASIBILITY STUDY OF SHORT-TERM 6-MONTH CONTRACT PROBATION PERIODS, WITH THE STUDY SHOWING THAT SHORT TERMS ARE VIABLE IN THAT A POINT OF DIMINISHING RETURNS IS REACHED WITH MOST CLIENTS WELL WITHIN THE 6-MONTH STAGE. RETAINING THE 6-MONTH PERIOD, THE DTU THEN ADOPTED TASK-CENTERED CASEWORK, A TIME-LIMITED MODEL INTENDED FOR USE WITH THE MAJORITY OF CLIENTS CURRENTLY SERVED BY SOCIAL CASEWORKERS. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS APPROACH IS THAT CLIENTS SHOULD EXPERIENCE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SUCCESS, LARGELY AS A RESULT OF THEIR OWN EFFORTS. THIS APPROACH IS ALSO INTENDED AS A FRAMEWORK FOR PROBLEM CHANGE RATHER THAN PERSONALITY CHANGE. THE DTU DEMONSTRATED THAT SUCH AN APPROACH COMBINED WITH THE SHORT-TERM PROBATION IS FEASIBLE IN TERMS OF ITS ACCEPTANCE BY COURTS AND OF ADVANTAGES PERCEIVED BY OFFICERS IN THEIR WORK. A POSTSCRIPT NOTES THAT THE DTU STAFF HAS HAD A BREAKDOWN IN WORKING RELATIONSHIPS SINCE 1978. SIXTEEN REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.