Cleaning up after the Mess: The Individual-Community Nexus in Correctional Rehabilitation

The population of America's local, state, and federal prisons increased by nearly 340 percent between 1980 and 2005 (Paparozzi and Demichele 2008). Much of this increase reflects policy intended to get tough on criminals by locking them up longer and removing discretionary power of judges. Therefore, community corrections (i.e., probation and parole) have assumed increased attention recently as more prisoners are diverted and placed on probation and others are released through mandatory parole. One of the most measurable goals of community corrections is a reduction in recidivism. Much of what works today has its origins in symbolic interaction theory. Most social learning occurs through what Albert Bandura referred to as “observational learning.” One component of this approach as applied to community corrections involves parole officers modeling behavior for the offender. Research has shown us that successful modeling requires skill on the part of parole officers in order for the process of observational learning to occur. The second component in therapeutic intervention in corrections is that the client/offender must have the opportunity to reinforce the new behavior. Research suggests that this “role playing” should occur in a nonthreatening environment, with the offender receiving reinforcement for positive prosocial/noncriminal behavior and immediate disapproval for antisocial behavior. Finally, this paper will propose an integrative approach for prisoner reentry that extends this process of resocialization to include broader involvement of social institutions and the community.