Category: rehabilitation

The prison population in America has continued to increase in recent years. It has caused the growth of a cottage industry with the prison system. More prisons are being built but it cannot stem the tide of an increasing population of candidates being incarcerated. The result is that larger numbers of prisoners are being released into the community.

Advocates promote prisoner rehabilitation to help the offenders adjust to life outside of prison as well as to stop them from committing crimes and returning to the criminal justice system. Some statistics state that 60 to70 per cent of the released inmates return to jail within a few years. Many of these include sex offenders and violent criminals. A good prisoner rehabilitation program would not only benefit the criminal but society at large.

Some say that prisoners cannot be rehabilitated. If the numbers are correct then there are a substantial amount of prisoners that do not return to prison. They go on to become contributing members of society. Were they the subjects of a good prisoner rehabilitation program or is it their will and determination that keep them on a straight path? Advocates and opponents disagree on whether or not prisoner rehabilitation programs work.

Faith Based Programs

One of the largest types of prisoner rehabilitation programs are the faith based initiatives. Clergy of various denominations make the rounds to prisons to counsel the inmates and offer resources that they may not find elsewhere. Even the Scientology group offers a program to help inmates find the skills to re-enter society.

The goal of the faith based prisoner rehabilitation programs is to first shift the spiritual prospective of the inmates to a larger prospective than what first led them to a criminal life. These programs offer different resources depending on the prison and the group. It is found that a large segment of the prison population is unable to read or write. This of course limits the types of work or jobs that they are able to do on the outside. A major goal of many faith based prisoner rehabilitation programs its literacy.

It has been found that if the prisoner gains basic reading and writing skills, and gets a GED or further education their chances of functioning in the community increase dramatically. Also many of these programs focus on drug or alcohol abuse counseling as well. Chronic drug abuse is the cause of many arrests, as it affords a way to pay for the addiction. Counseling both spiritual and interpersonal by qualified clergy personnel can help the prisoners find better tools to cope with and handle their lives. More research is needed to see the results of fait based prisoner rehabilitation programs.

Physical rehabilitation therapy is a combination of different methods that are performed on people to develop, restore and maintain their maximum movement abilities and functional capacities throughout their lifespan.

The process of physical rehabilitation therapies include methods that could help people where circumstances of function and movement are threatened by their ways of ageing or injury-related situations or harmful diseases. One or more methods of physical rehabilitation therapies provide people with a complete and functional movement to be very healthy.

When a person is given physical rehabilitation therapy, their medical condition is identified, examined and given a specially designed program in maximizing their movement potential by promoting prevention, providing treatment and undergoing complete rehabilitation. The rehabilitation through physical therapy usually involves the relations between the families, physical therapists and caregivers in fulfilling the desired outcome.

Before undergoing rehabilitation, the physical therapists usually examines the movement potential and needs to arrive at an accurate diagnosis. Through this examination, the therapists will then integrate several strategies, which they deem necessary for the patient s rehabilitation. Each physical rehabilitation therapy differs from the next because some patients need promotion of health, while others need treatment and prevention of illnesses.

The Methods behind a Physical Rehabilitation Therapy

When a therapist recommends a patient to undergo rehabilitation using physical therapy, the methods may include manual handling, enhancements of movements, functional training and electrotherapeutic, mechanical and physical agents. The therapy may also include patient counseling, patient-related coordination and patient-doctor communication.

Some therapists suggest intervention, which focus on impairment prevention, functional limitation, injuries and disabilities. These methods usually combine methods in promoting and maintaining health, fitness and the quality of life, regardless of age and sex.

Physical therapies and rehabilitation can be provided for people who have just recently been on accidents, such as sports-related injuries. These treatments can also be given to patients with neck or back pains, problems with muscle control, mild to severe conditions of joints and spinal, such as arthritis and biomechanical problems.

When severe health problems affect people, physical therapies are used to prevent aggravation or promote movement potential. These include health problems that affect children, such as spina bifida and cerebral palsy, stress incontinence and conditions affecting the lung or heart.

A complete physical rehabilitation therapy is usually given to people who have suffered from neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and stoke. Through therapy, people of all ages still have the possibility of regaining normal movement in order to perform daily tasks done before the accidents or illnesses.