Is a Practice About Which There Is Little Agreement but an Enormous Amount of Concern

DOC:10111NT RICSUPSI ED 029 100 VT 007 770 Offenders as a Correctional Manpower Resource. Report of a Seminar (Washington, D.C.. March 7-8, 1968). Joint Commission on Correctional Manpower and Training, Washington. D.C. Pub Date Jun 68 Note-108p. Available from-Joint Commission on Correctional Manpower and Training. 1522 K Street, N.W., Washington. D.C. 20005 (S1.00). EDRS Price MF-SO.50 HC-S5.50 Descriptors-Community Attitudes, *Cznference Reports, *Corrective Institutions, Human Services, *Manpower Development,*ManpowerUtilization,Models,PilotProjects,PoliticalIssues,*Prisoners,Program Development, Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Programs, Social Problems The use of the offender and ex-offender as manpower resources in corrections is a practice about which there is little agreement but an enormous amount of concern. Self-help programs such as Alcoholic s Anonymous and Synanon have attracted wide attraction. The concept of using a product of the problem to help others with the same problem is not new, but it has been applied only to a limited degree in the rehabilitation of the public offender. To allow a full expression of views on this topic, the papers given at this meeting examine the promise and problems of such a program for the offender himself, for the correctional system and for society. Presentations include: "Offender Participation in the Correctional Process: General Theoretical Issues" by LaMar T. Empey; "Sources of Resistance to the Use of Offenders and Ex-Offenders in the Correctional Process" by Donald R. Cressey; and "Vital Components of a Model Program Using the Offender in the Administration of Justice" by J. Douglas Grant. (CH) C. I Air 1( $ a JOINT tOMMISSION 4. ON .4. 6ORRECTIONALMAilPOW,ER ANli TRAINING. t r The Joint Commission on CorrectionalMan- power and Training,incorporated in the Dis- trict of Columbia, consists of nearly ahundred national, international, and regionalorganiza- tions and public agencies which havejoined togetherto attack one of the serioussocial problems of our day: How to secureenough trained men and women to bringabout the rehabilitation of offenders through our correctional systems and thus preventfurther de- linquency and crime. Recognizing the importance of this problem, the Congress in 1965 passed theCorrectional Rehabilitation Study Act, whichauthorizes the Vocational RehabilitationAdministrationto make grants for a broad study ofcorrectional manpower and training.The Joint Commis- sion is funded under this Actand through grants from private foundations,organizations, and individuals. Commission publications available: Differences That Make the Difference,papers of a seminar on implications ofcultural differences for corrections. August1967. 64 pp. Second printing November 1967. Targets for In-Service Training,papers of a seminar on in-service training.October 1967. 68 pp. Second printing November1967. Research in CorrectionalRehabilitation, report of a seminar onresearch in correctional rehabilitation. December 1967.Second printing March 1968. 70 pp. The Public Looks atCrime and Correctioni; report of a public opinion survey.February 1968. Second printing March1968. 28 pp. The Future of the Juvenile Court:Implica- tions for Correctional Manpowerand Training, consultants' paper. June 1968. 67 pp. Offenders as a Correctional Manpower Re- source,papers of a seminar onthe use of offenders in corrections.July 1968.103 pp. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HP; BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS Of VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE Of EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. OFFENDERS AS A CORRECTIONAL MANPOWER RESOURCE Report of aSeminar( U) r Convened by the Joint Commission on Correctional Manpower and Training Washington, D. C. March 7-8, 1968 joint Commission on Correctional Manpower and TrainingA K Street, N.W. Washington, D...520005 June 1968 FOREWORD The use of the offender and ex-offender as manpowerresources in corrections is a practice about which thereis little agreement but an enormous amount of concern.Self-help programs such as AlcoholicsAnonymous and Synanon have attracted wide attention.Thus the concept of using aproduct of the problem to help otherswith the same problem is not new.But it has been applied to only a limited degreein the rehabilitation of the publicoffender. To allow a full expression of views onthis topic, the Joint Commission on Correctional Manpower and Trainingconvened a seminar in March 1968.The papers given at thismeeting examined the promise andproblems of such a program for the offenderhimself, for the correctional system, andfor society. They presented varying points of view, some atodds with others. Some pointsmade are also at odds withmuch of the practice in correctionstoday. The Joint Com- mission provides a forum for theexpression of these ideas.It does not necessarily subscribe to positions takenby the authors. The seminar was planned anddirected by Keith A. Stubblefield,directoi of the Commission's task force onutilization of volunteers and otherspecial per- sonnel in corrections, and LarryL. Dye, research assistant.The report was edited by Roma K. McNickle. The papers of the seminar weregiven by men long associatedwith pioneer- ing the use of offenders andex-offenders in self-help programs.The introduc- ton was prepared by theCommission staff responsible forthe study of this topic. The product, we hope, willbe useful to those contemplatingthe use of offenders and ex-offenders as manpower resourcesfor corrections. The Commission expressesits thanks to all participantsin the seminar. Special thanks are due to Dr.Thomas F. Court less, who acted asmoderator. Representative James H. Scheuer,of New York, kindlyarranged for the use of meeting rooms in the RayburnHouse Office Building. Judge Laurance M. Hyde, Jr. andthe editors of Judicature havegraciously which appears as permitted the Commission toreprint the article by Judge Hyde Appendix B of this publication.The Commission is alsoindebted to Hannah Rinehart and Winston forpermission to quote Green and her publishers Holt, Conrad and the from I Never Promised You ARose Garden; and to John P. from Crime and Regents of the University ofCalifornia for permission to quote Practices, published by Its Correction: An InternationalSurvey of Attitudes and the University of CaliforniaPress. The Commission takes pleasurein offering this publication tothe correctional community and to thepublic which gives oftencontradictory mandates to corrections. As pointed out inthe papers, the reactions ofthe public to men released from corrections canmake the differencebetween their success and failure. WIL.LIAM T. ADAMS Associate Director Joint Commission onCorrectional Manpower and Training CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 1 Keith A. Stubblefield and Larry L. Dye OFFENDER PARTICIPATION IN THE CORRECTIONAL PROCESS: GENERAL THEORETICAL ISSUES 5 LaMar T. Empey LAW, POLITICS, AND EX-OFFENDERS IN THE CORRECTIONAL PROCESS 22 Gilbert Geis SOURCES OF RESISTANCE TO THE USE OFOFFENDERS AND EX-OFFENDERS IN THE CORRECTIONAL PROCESS 31 Donald R. Cressey UTILIZING TH EEX-OFFENDER AS A STAFFMEMBER: COMMUNITY ATTITUDES AND ACCEPTANCE 50 Milton Luger q, VITAL COMPONENTS OF A MODEL PROGRAMUSING THE OFFENDER IN THE ADMINISTRATION OFJUSTICE 60 J. Douglas Grant ISSUES AND STRATEGIES OF IMPLEMENTATIONIN THE USE OF OFFENDERS IN RESOCIALIZINGOTHER OFFENDERS 73 Richard R. Korn SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE SEMINAR 85 Thomas F. Court less APPENDIX A Data on Current Use of Offenders andEx-Offenders in American Corrections 87 APPENDIX B If Prisoners Could Talk to Judges 92 APPENDIX C Bibliography on New Careers 98 INTRODUCTION Keith A. Stubblefield and Larry L. Dye In carrying out its mission to make athorough analysis of the manpower shortage in American corrections and suggest waysof meeting it, the Joint Com- to mission on Correctional Manpower andTraining has perforce given attention the ways in which correctionshas usedand perhaps might betteruseoffend- ers and ex-offenders as manpowerfor the correctional system. For many decades, the adultccrrectional institutions of the countryhave relied on inmates to do much of themaintenance work around the prison.In some cases theyhave been used as custodial workers. Agood many institutions have drawn on the pre-commitmentskills of inmates by using them toteach other prisoners, act as clerks, and thelike. A survey of institutions madeby the Joint Commission in 1967revealed that both adult and juvenilefacilities are now using offenders,ex-offenders, and persons on parole orprobation in teaching academic andvocational programs, leading recreational and rehabilitation programs,helping with research projects, interviewing new inmates, and leadingpre-release programs.Details are shown in Appendix A. In the past, as a general rule,corrections has used offenders in prisonwork mainly because maintenance andoperating funds were scarce orworkers were hard to hire from the outside.The new rationale is that offendershave some- thing to offer other offenders which can neverbe provided by staff who have not themselves been involved in crime anddelinquency. At the Kansas StatePeni- tentiary in Lansing, for example,selected inmates conduct a regular program for juvenile delinquents.Problem boys are brought to theprison for weekly sessions with these inmates, withjudges, probation officers, and other persons connected with the administrationof justice to impress upon the

Load more