Correctional Settings

Abstract

Abstract Social workers provide a variety of services to people incarcerated in jails and prisons, including case management, rehabilitative and educational programming, and clinical mental health services. Correctional social workers may conduct a wide range of specialized assessments to better understand the mental health needs of their incarcerated clients, as well as identify significant risk factors for both suicide and recidivism. Clinical interventions within correctional contexts include mental health and substance abuse treatment, self-harm prevention, and treatment of criminogenic needs, such as treatment for sexual offenders. The physical and cultural environment of correctional facilities is especially unique in its intensity and structure, invariably impacting both incarcerated people and correctional staff. Ethical dilemmas may arise for social workers seeking to promote the dignity and worth of their incarcerated clients within the inherently dehumanizing context of a correctional facility.