Social Work Profession

Article

Article

Client Violence  

Christina E. Newhill

Published online:11 June 2013Subjects:

1. Criminal Justice
2. Clinical and Direct Practice
3. Human Behavior
4. Mental and Behavioral Health
5. Social Work Profession

Client violence and workplace safety are relevant issues for all social workers across practice settings. This entry addresses why and how social workers may be targets for a client’s violent behavior, and what we know about who is at risk of encountering violence. Understanding violence from a biopsychosocial perspective, identifying risk markers associated with violent behavior, and an introduction to guidelines for conducting a risk assessment will be discussed. The entry concludes by identifying and describing some general strategies for the prevention of client violence. Show Less

Article

Confidentiality and Privileged Communication  

Carolyn I. Polowy, Sherri Morgan, W. Dwight Bailey, and Carol Gorenberg

Published online:11 June 2013Subjects:

1. Addictions and Substance Use
2. Criminal Justice
3. Ethics and Values
4. Mental and Behavioral Health
5. Social Work Profession

Confidentiality of client communications is one of the ethical foundations of the social work profession and has become a legal obligation in most states. Many problems arise in the application of the principles of confidentiality and privilege to the professional services provided by social workers. This entry discusses the concepts of client confidentiality and privileged communications and outlines some of the applicable exceptions. While the general concept of confidentiality applies in many interactions between social workers and clients, the application of confidentiality and privilege laws are particularly key to the practice of clinical social workers in various practice settings. Show Less

Article

Criminal Justice: Overview  

Michael C. Gearhart

Published online:11 June 2013Subjects:

1. Criminal Justice
2. Ethics and Values
3. Macro Practice
4. Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
5. Social Justice and Human Rights
6. Social Work Profession

The American criminal justice system is comprised of four main components: law enforcement, the judiciary, corrections, and legislature. These components work together to investigate crimes, arrest individuals, weigh evidence of guilt, monitor individuals who are found guilty, and make laws. Though the criminal justice system is meant to administer justice in an equitable manner, a number of controversial policies and practices exist within the criminal justice system. These practices are typically rooted in historical biases that continue to create… … Show More

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 LIBRE:

Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System  

Susan A. McCarter

Published online:30 July 2018Subjects:

1. Criminal Justice
2. Policy and Advocacy
3. Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
4. Social Justice and Human Rights
5. Social Work Profession

Social work and criminal justice have a shared history in the United States dating back to the 19th century when their combined focus was rehabilitation. But with an increase in crime, this focus shifted to punishment and incapacitation, and a schism resulted between social work and criminal justice. Given current mass incarceration and disparities in criminal justice, social work has returned in force to this important practice. The latest Bureau of Justice Statistics research reports that 1% of all adult males living in the United States were serving a prison sentence of a year or longer (Carson & Anderson, 2016) and rates of diversion, arrest, sentencing (including the death penalty), incarceration, etc., vary considerably by race/ethnicity (Nellis, 2016). This entry explores race and ethnicity, current population demographics, and criminal justice statistics/data analysis, plus theories and social work-specific strategies to address racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system. Show Less