An Interview on prison rehabilitation was conducted with Devon Anderson. She is the current District Attorney of Harris County, former judge on the 177th judicial court, and president of the Harris County Drug Court Foundation. In the interview many topics were covered including the financial aspect, impacts, and how to determine sentencing of first offenders compared to a repeat offender for rehabilitation.
From the information obtained, rehabilitation is financially worth it as long as the offender is truly in need of it. Rehabilitation only becomes an issue when it is given to those who don't need it. Rehabilitation has a tremendous impact as long as they don't relapse and continue with their follow up treatments. For determining sentencing of a first offender, you must take into consideration whether it is an addiction compared to someone getting caught "partying." When it comes to repeat offenders, they are given rehabilitation based on how bad the drug addiction is. The drug court has also developed an assessment that can determine how bad the problem is and how to treat it. An example of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Assessment can be found at the following link: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AssessingAlcohol/planning.htm
Devon also mentioned a non-profit Rehabilitation Program headquartered in Houston called The Bridges To Life Program. It uses a 14 week program where volunteers and offenders at Prisons all around Texas are brought together with a facilitator. There are two main goals that this program strives to achieve. The first goal is to reduce recidivism rates of program graduates, and the second goal is to facilitate the healing process for both victims and offenders. Bridges To Life has scheduled 74 projects in over 28 Texas prisons, as well as juvenile facilities and prisons alternative facilities in 2013. For more information on the Bridges To Life Program visit bridgestolife.org
From the information obtained, rehabilitation is financially worth it as long as the offender is truly in need of it. Rehabilitation only becomes an issue when it is given to those who don't need it. Rehabilitation has a tremendous impact as long as they don't relapse and continue with their follow up treatments. For determining sentencing of a first offender, you must take into consideration whether it is an addiction compared to someone getting caught "partying." When it comes to repeat offenders, they are given rehabilitation based on how bad the drug addiction is. The drug court has also developed an assessment that can determine how bad the problem is and how to treat it. An example of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Assessment can be found at the following link: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AssessingAlcohol/planning.htm
Devon also mentioned a non-profit Rehabilitation Program headquartered in Houston called The Bridges To Life Program. It uses a 14 week program where volunteers and offenders at Prisons all around Texas are brought together with a facilitator. There are two main goals that this program strives to achieve. The first goal is to reduce recidivism rates of program graduates, and the second goal is to facilitate the healing process for both victims and offenders. Bridges To Life has scheduled 74 projects in over 28 Texas prisons, as well as juvenile facilities and prisons alternative facilities in 2013. For more information on the Bridges To Life Program visit bridgestolife.org
We conducted an interview with Didi Johnson and Heather Clark. These women work in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice where they are directors of intensive treatment. These women are deeply devoted to their work, as they have both worked in the justice system for years. Didi began her career as a parole officer while Heather started as a probation officer.
Inmates have the choice to either serve their regular sentence or get a shortened sentence and enroll in the rehab programs. Heather stated that most inmates choose to do the longer sentence because even though the rehab program shortens their sentence, it requires the inmate to keep checking in upon their release. She describes the program as 6-9 months in prison treatment, followed by 3 months in transition (halfway house), and concluded by another 12 as an outpatient.
Another program they use is the GO KIDS program. This program understands the importance of keeping family ties between inmates and their children. Children who have had a parent in prison are 6-8 times more likely to go to prison from the separation.
After seeing the impact their programs have had on addicts, the women unanimously agree that it is financially worth it. They describe the feeling as “breathtaking” when they see “heroine addicts transform from addicts to productive citizens.”
Inmates have the choice to either serve their regular sentence or get a shortened sentence and enroll in the rehab programs. Heather stated that most inmates choose to do the longer sentence because even though the rehab program shortens their sentence, it requires the inmate to keep checking in upon their release. She describes the program as 6-9 months in prison treatment, followed by 3 months in transition (halfway house), and concluded by another 12 as an outpatient.
Another program they use is the GO KIDS program. This program understands the importance of keeping family ties between inmates and their children. Children who have had a parent in prison are 6-8 times more likely to go to prison from the separation.
After seeing the impact their programs have had on addicts, the women unanimously agree that it is financially worth it. They describe the feeling as “breathtaking” when they see “heroine addicts transform from addicts to productive citizens.”