Introduction
In the recent past, treatment programs aimed at reducing recidivism have been adopted in a bid to avert crimes within the community. However, the implementation strategy has become a debatable subject since offenders commit crimes due to diverse reasons. Thus, treatment programs are faced with a challenge when it comes to effective implementation, as most of them are considered ineffective in catering for the needs of the recidivists. But how should the community effectively adopt programs aimed at reducing recidivism, given that the causes of recidivism vary from one offender to the other?
Literature Review
The study of treatment programs aimed at reducing recidivism has been used as a vehicle of evaluating whether applying programs grounded with fundamentals associated with the transition process can reduce the rate of recidivism (Parent, 2004). However, the recidivism literature leaves a gap within the study, as it does not address on the model that should be adopted for placement of each offender, given that the factors contributing to recidivism within the community are diverse.
Methods
This study aims at conducting three interviews, with a view of finding out how treatment programs can be made effective in reducing recidivism within the community. The participants will be selected randomly through national newspapers advertisement, as this will help to increase the validity of the study. Additionally, the study will ensure that it does not compel anyone to participate by making sure that it adheres to the Institutional Review Board (IRB), as well as making sure that it protects the rights of the participants by concealing their identity.
Procedure
The process will entail three interviews: the first interview will aim at collecting demographic data of the offenders; the second interview will aim at collecting information from the community regarding knowledge level of the treatment programs; and the third interview will assess the opinion of all participants with regard to effectiveness of treatment programs in reducing recidivism. This will be assessed through a 10-point Likert scale.
Instrument
After a review of the literature from scholarly articles, the study will come up with the following list of questionnaire:
First interview
- What is the average educational level of recidivists?
- What is average social-economic status of recidivists?
- What is the average age of recidivists?
- What race/ethnic group do most recidivists come from?
Second interview
- What are some of the resources do you think the treatment programs require to reduce rate of recidivism?
- To what extend do you think recidivism escalates within the community due to poor social relationship between the recidivists and the community, including the family members?
Third interview
- Do you think the treatment programs aimed at reducing substance abuse amongst the aged population is effective?
- Do you agree that that the positive relationship between recidivism and racial discrimination stems from ineffectiveness of the programs?
- Do you think that recidivism amongst the disadvantaged members of the community emanates from ineffectiveness of the treatment programs?
Findings
The qualitative findings will show that the treatment programs are instrumental in reducing recidivism in the community, but only if the policy administrators take into account a number of factors, including carrying out a needs assessment of each offender, analyzing the needs assessment of the family and community members, and analyzing the resource requirements for the programs.
Needs Assessment for the Offenders
This study will show that carrying out treatment programs that are congruent with the needs of each offender is critical in reducing recidivism in the community. Since effectiveness of the programs vary from one recidivist to the other, analyzing the demographic variables of each offender will form the basis of implementing effective programs.
Needs Assessment for the family and Community Members
The study will portray that recidivism cannot be reduced if the community is not sensitized in diverse ways of handling the offenders. The findings will be analyzed in such a way that they will create a distinction between the behaviors of offenders treated affectionately and the offenders treated in a non-affectionate manner.
Needs Assessment for the Program
The study will depict that carrying out a needs assessment for the theories to be used in the treatment programs is critical in reducing recidivism within the community. Additionally, the study will establish the rationale behind offering financial, social, as well as psychological support to the offenders to facilitate reduction of recidivism.
Discussion
The summary of the findings will be demonstrated by highlighting the theory that should be adopted by the treatment programs aimed at reducing recidivism. The Transition from Prison to Community Initiative (TPCI) model will form the center stage of the analysis since it endeavors to strike a balance between the offenders’ needs, family’s needs, and the needs of the community (Parent, 2004).
The reliability of the findings will be ascertained by examining both the current and the past literature on the subject. This study will pave way for further research on the effectiveness of treatment programs by introducing another variable in the study: gender of the offenders.
References
Parent, D. G. (2004). Transition from Prison to Community Initiative. Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates.