CRIMINAL JUSTICE and Populations and Practice Settings

Article

Criminal Justice: Corrections  

C. Aaron McNeece

Published online:11 June 2013Subjects:

1. Criminal Justice
2. Populations and Practice Settings
3. Social Justice and Human Rights

The United States has more than 7 million adults under correctional supervision, with more than 2 million incarcerated. The history and theories behind incarceration are described, along with the current jail and prison inmate populations. Specific problems of juveniles and women are mentioned. Current trends and issues in corrections are discussed, including community-based corrections, privatization, faith-based programs, and health care. The roles of social workers in the correctional system are outlined. Comments are made on the future of incarceration.

Article

Drug Courts  

Julie Schroeder and Bridgette Harris

Published online:29 March 2017Subjects:

1. Addictions and Substance Use
2. Criminal Justice
3. Populations and Practice Settings

Drug courts were developed to facilitate treatment for criminal offenders with substance abuse problems. Drug courts operate using dual paradigms of healing and discipline via treatment, social service resources, and case management for healing, and judicial sanctions and criminal justice interventions in efforts to initiate change resulting in sobriety and no further criminal behavior. The key goals of most drug courts are to reduce drug use and associated criminal behavior by engaging and retaining drug-involved offenders in programs and treatment services; to concentrate expertise about drug cases into a single courtroom; to address other defendant needs through clinical assessment and effective case management; and to free judicial, prosecutorial and public defense resources for adjudicating non-drug cases. It is vital that social work students be introduced to drug courts and how they function for students to gain better understanding of how addiction can bring their clients into contact with the criminal justice system. Drug courts are ideal settings for internship placements so that students can get hands-on experience in a court setting and assist clients using a therapeutic jurisprudence model. Show Less

Article

Elder Abuse  

Eloise Rathbone-McCuan

Published online:11 June 2013Subjects:

1. Aging and Older Adults
2. Criminal Justice
3. Macro Practice
4. Policy and Advocacy
5. Populations and Practice Settings

Elder abuse is now recognized internationally as a social problem among the aging population. Intentional abuse, neglect, and exploitation among caregivers to frail and isolated elderly create serious risks across diverse formal and informal care settings. This field has expanded continuously since the early 1970s. Accurate prevalence and incidence rates have not been determined. There is a national system of elder victim protection operating within each state. The social work profession is legally mandated to report situations where an elderly person is suspected to be at risk of abuse. Social workers are involved in all aspects of elder abuse prevention and intervention services. Show Less

Article

Juvenile Delinquency  

Carolyn Smith

Published online:11 June 2013Subjects:

1. Children and Adolescents
2. Criminal Justice
3. Populations and Practice Settings
4. Social Justice and Human Rights

The following article on juvenile delinquency has three major objectives: First, it defines delinquency and discusses its measurement and extent; second, it reviews theory and risk factor data on causes of delinquency; third, it discusses current trends in juvenile justice intervention and delinquency prevention, including social worker involvement.

Article

Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence  

Larry W. Bennett and Oliver J. Williams

Published online:28 June 2017Subjects:

1. Couples and Families
2. Criminal Justice
3. Human Behavior
4. Mental and Behavioral Health
5. Populations and Practice Settings

Perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) use coercive actions toward intimate or formerly intimate partners, including emotional abuse, stalking, threats, physical violence, or rape. The lifetime prevalence of IPV is 35% for women and 28% for men, with at an estimated economic cost of over ten billion dollars. IPV occurs in all demographic sectors of society, but higher frequencies of IPV perpetration are found among people who are younger and who have lower income and less education. Similar proportions of men and women use IPV, but when the effects of partner abuse are considered, women bear the greatest physical and behavioral health burden. Single-explanation causes for IPV such as substance abuse, patriarchy, and personality disorders are sometimes preferred by practitioners, advocates, and policymakers, but an understanding of IPV perpetration is enhanced when we look through the multiple lenses of culture and society, relationship, and psychological characteristics of the perpetrators. Show Less

Article

Prison Social Work  

Jason Matejkowski, Toni Johnson, and Margaret E. Severson

Published online:03 February 2014Subjects:

1. Criminal Justice
2. Populations and Practice Settings
3. Social Justice and Human Rights
4. Social Work Profession

This entry provides a description of prison social work and the array of responsibilities that social workers in prison settings have, including intake screening and assessment, supervision, crisis intervention, ongoing treatment, case management, and parole and release planning. The authors provide the legal context for providing social-work services to prisoners and delve into issues involving three specific populations of growing concern to corrections officials and to prison social work: women inmates, inmates who are parents, and inmates with mental illness. The tension between the goals of social work and corrections is explored and opportunities for social workers to apply their professional values within the prison setting are highlighted. Show Less

Article

School-Based Truancy Courts  

Fayneese Miller

Published online:26 March 2019Subjects:

1. Children and Adolescents
2. Criminal Justice
3. Populations and Practice Settings

Truancy, or unexcused chronic absenteeism from school, has been linked to school dropout, early onset criminal behavior, drug use, and other negative behaviors. Given the negative impact of truancy on the future outlook for students and the potential costs for society, many communities have begun to identity programs or collaborations that might reduce truancy and improve academic achievement of students. An increasingly key partner in such efforts is the courts. Truancy is defined as a legal term and the role school-based or affiliated truancy courts play in truancy is significant. The Stop Truancy Reduction Program in the United States needs to be emphasized as a model for the ways in which courts can partner with school personnel, social workers, and other mental health counselors to address truancy and its associated problems. Show Less

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