Steps to Successful Criminal Rehabilitation – Education and Counseling

There are many who think criminal rehabilitation is the way to solve the issue of prisoners returning to jail after their previous incarcerations. It is a particular problem with sexual offenders where statistics show many continue their habitual molestation of children or women upon their release.

As the prison population continues to grow, it is necessary that criminal rehabilitation be addressed. Are there effective ways to keep inmates from returning to a life of crime? The census is divided on the answer. Statistics state that on average 35 per cent of released prisoners do not return to jail. That means that over 60 per cent of released prisoners end up being repeat offenders. This is a danger to society as well as strain on the prison system. There seems to be a formula that works for some inmates that involves touching on the different levels of their personalities.

The first step increasing the affectivity of criminal rehabilitation is education on two levels. One level is to educate the workforce involved in the criminal justice system as to ways to promote the system into being a revolving door for better citizens instead of for habitual offenders. It must be said however that given the circumstances the current criminal justice system does a tremendous job though all things can be improved on. The next level is to educate the prisoners themselves.

Knowledge is Key

Part of the education program in criminal rehabilitation would be to help the prisoners increase their knowledge base. Many inmates do not even have a basic grade school level of education. This limits the ability for success in the working world. Basic criminal rehabilitation programs would insure that there is at stand module for literacy amongst the inmates who are willing and able to learn.

Counseling

The next step in a good criminal rehabilitation program involves the social adjustment level of the inmates. Each criminal could be assessed as to any mental or physical disabilities and problems that contribute to their incarceration. If appropriate counseling and behavior modification techniques could be utilized, many prisoners may be able shift back in to society in a more balanced manner.

A large amount of the prison population has had some experience with drugs and many are in fact dealing with addiction problems. Counseling would help to solve the inner dynamics that lead to the addiction and perhaps heal the problem. This could alleviate the criminal behavior that financed the addiction.

Cognitive Rehabilitation: Helping To Restore Lives

After an injury involving the brain, many people lose the ability for perform simple tasks that they once did, such as brushing their teeth, driving a car, or writing their name. An injury such as this can have an incredible impact on the person s quality of life, and much help is needed in these situations. Cognitive rehabilitation is a therapy that is designed to do just that; to help the injured person regain their strength, perception and life skills which they seemingly have lost. This therapy provides hope and understanding to those who so desperately need it.

Who Benefits From Cognitive Rehabilitation?

Cognitive rehabilitation is offered as a positive solution to meeting the needs of persons with a brain injury or other mental problem. The primary beneficiaries of this therapy are those who have lost the ability to make simple decisions, or who have never developed their mental faculties in order to finish even the smallest task, such as dressing themselves. Those with ADD/ADHD or other related disorders can also benefit from cognitive rehabilitation, often learning skills for the first time that they have not been able to prior because of lack of self-control or fine motor skills.

What Are The Goals Of Cognitive Rehabilitation?

Those who are recovering from brain injury often desire to participate in many normal activities, yet are unable due to the damage. With cognitive rehabilitation, one main goal is to relearn certain mental abilities while strengthening the intact functions already known. Social skills are also affected many times, so learning how to interact with others if often a main focus as well. Learning how to manage anger and impulsivity is important, as many emotional functions are lost with a brain injury, so relearning in this area is vital. Another goal is to teach new skills to the patient in addition to those that the patient is just relearning.

What Is The Treatment Plan Of Cognitive Rehabilitation?

Cognitive rehabilitation therapy employs various treatment approaches to those in need of help. Psychotherapy is offered to help with issues such as anger management and depression, as patients often experience a multitude of problems with coping with every day difficulties of their condition. Visual and auditory tasks and training are employed, as well as memory training and EEG feedback. Each person s program is highly individualized to meet their specific needs and can provide amazing results as well.