Article Review: Innovations in Correctional Assessment and Treatment

Article Review: Innovations in Correctional Assessment and Treatment

Introduction

This article reviews the innovations in the treatment and assessment of inmates who have been imprisoned. The authors' assess this group through dimensional and biopsychosocial conditions. This article highlights that the psychologists working in this field need to pool their individualistic initiatives towards promotion of their services to gain positive results. Moreover, research which is based on a wider array of interventions is vital to the field of correctional and forensic psychology (Ax et al, 2007).

Discussion

Mentally ill or unstable criminals who have been incarcerated are now specifically classified under individuals who need a special approach towards treatment in order to care for them with successful results (Byrne et al, 2007). The authors, Byrne and Roberts also specified that the treatment should be focused on stopping such inmates from becoming repeat offenders rather than trying to change or mold them otherwise (Byrne et al, 2007). Therefore, such treatment can be referred to as risk management as it works to secure public safety.

Although this would continue from an inmates incarceration throughout the treatment phase, it is considered as a paradigm shift by Byrne and Roberts (2007), focused towards violent mental inmates, it may be applied to the general group of mentally ill prisoners (Adams et al, 2008). The authors' of this article noted that the management of psychologically ill inmates is categorial, or that their treatment tends to be disjointed. A multidimensional approach calls for the treatment of numerous issues at one time which would yeild positive results in holistic and individual care.

All prisons vary in their environments, and even within. Inmates have been known to cacoon themselves in the resulting niches or a special environment in the prison (Toch, 1992). This can be advantageous to ...