Community corrections are facilities in which some convicted offenders and juveniles are taken instead of imprisonment and the conditions here are not as strict as those of the jails. The offenders remain under the custody of the government and serve their term as set by the courts. They are used to help those inmates whose term is almost over so that they can rebuild their lives. They provide: counseling, a safe environment, employment and financial management assistance to help them adjust to the new life and easily interact with the society. They are kept under probation when released and are assigned supervises to watch their behaviors (Thompson 2006).
The inmates attend therapy sessions also get time to interact with their fellow inmates and share their experiences. However, not all offenders will behave the same, some are difficult to handle, but others are calm and very optimistic. These differences often make interaction in this centers very complicated both between inmates and also the staff. Employees responsible for this people are rude, angry with inmates and also they are not well trained. Gender issues are also a major problem, because male officers may not understand the female offenders and the vice versa is true, they sometimes even mock them on sex issues, hence there is need for change in these centers so that they can effectively be able to achieve the intended objective of their existence that is to rehabilitate offenders. A long- term development plan will be appropriate in the implementation of the changes and improvement of interaction in the centers and an example of one that can be used is present below (Springer 2007; Riccardi 2010).
It is essential to create institutions or programs that will train the officers that work in these centers. This will include education on physchilogical issues, social and also technological because of the devices they use to test use of drugs and also to track some. This will enable them understand the diverse needs of the inmates and also be able to cope with their behaviors. The programs should go on for several years because each day there are new crimes evolving and so are the offenders this will help them understand the crimes they do and what are the motivations. There will be training for the officers in groups over the next five years after which evaluation of any improvements will be done. Psychological matters should the first concern in the curriculum while the others will be integrated in the program gradually over the years (The Judicial Branch of Arizona 2010).
The other program should involve the inmates because as noted earlier they have very diverse needs and so are their behaviors. They will be grouped according to these differences because extreme cases cannot be combined with the rest, in the various activities that they do because offenders tend to influence each other while even some intimidate others hence making recovery slow and difficult (United States Secret Service 2009). The extreme cases should have specific officers handling them and so is for the others according to their needs. The inmates however should also be allowed to interact with other groups but under supervised conditions, this enables them to motivate and encourage each other.
The centers should also consider expansion or open new facilities to handle the offenders because some of them are very congested, and the number of officers is not sufficient. The centers should increase the number of officers who attend to the offenders so as to enable better interaction between them. They should then gradually develop a program whereby one officer will have a maximum of three offenders to take care of. They will also need to expand and diversify their services gradually because as the years pass there will be new crimes and hence more criminals.
Families of these offenders should also be involved in the rehabilitation process because separating them will make the offenders think that they are different and belong to a different social group. Involving the families will make them believe that they are valued and hence they will be able to easily interact easily with the rest of the society. The center can start by regularly inviting the family members of the inmates to the therapy sessions and also allow them contribute to the sessions and then gradually integrate them into the system over years, and assign them responsibilities in the recovery process (Randolph 2005; Sanders 2008).
Finally there should be communication and interaction with other centers offering the same services, as it provides an opportunity to share ideas and also discuss the various difficulties that they face. Centers should start by constantly visiting each other and allowing the offenders and officers to mingle with the other centers. The program can then upgrade and hold sessions together regularly. This will benefit both the officers and the inmates hence enhancing better interaction. In conclusion the plan could be expensive to implement but is the sure option that the government has to ensure that criminals will be, handled in a manner that corrects their behavior but still make them believe that they are valued. Offenders not well rehabilitated have very high chances of going back to crime, which will eventually cost the government more in trials, prisons, and compensations for the offended (Marquez 2006).
References
Márquez, J. (2006). Your vote: private prisons. California Connected. Web.
Randolph, F. (2005). Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Riccardi, N. (2010). Police guidelines underscore complexities of Arizona immigration law. Los Angeles Times. Web.
Sanders, S. (2008). To Protect and Serve. Center for Public Policy and Adminstration. Web.
Springer, B. (2007). Community Correction Officer Perceptions of Ex-Offender Reentry Needs and Challenges. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, Vol. 22(1), 4-15.
The Judicial Branch of Arizona. (2009). Fast Facts. The Judicial Branch of Arizona. Web.
Thompson, S. (2006). Differences Between Adult & Juvenile Criminals. Associated Content. Web.
United States Secret Service. (2009). Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report. United States Secret Service. Web.