A proposal for a New Treatment Program for Probationers
Problem Statement
Correctional costs have rapidly been growing for the last decade. Spending in probation agencies has doubled, and the state and local governments continue to bear the costs (Cochran, Corbett, Nidorf, Buck, and Stiles, 2012).This situation has resulted in cutbacks in an attempt to reduce the continued growth of expenses. The most affected section of the criminal justice agency is the treatment program. Provided probationers need rehabilitation programs after leaving prison, the cutbacks do not favor effective development and release of these treatment plans for ensuring probationers are in their right mental state not to re-offend during and after completion of their sentence, and public safety improves. It is important that a new treatment program is established to provide each probationer with the required treatment and an effective follow-up. A federal grant would be appropriate for this proposal.
Goals and Objectives
The aim of this program is to provide treatment and supervision to offenders to ensure they effectively tackle the problems that resulted in their arrest and that they do not repeat the same offenses. Support of this programs will ensure that there are enough resources to attend to all prisoners according to their specific needs and risks associated.
The road map
The program seeks to provide further training for the treatment specialists and also employ more specialists to ensure the special needs of all probationers are effectively attended to. The program also seeks to intensify the supervision and examination of probationers in the program to ensure full recovery after treatment. This will be through the use of questionnaires and psychological tests. According to Lowenkamp and Flores (2010) findings, treatment and intensive supervision programs results in reduced reoffending rates, especially for high-risk offenders. Supported intensified treatments program as essential in providing effective recovery (Hyatt, J. M., & Barnes, 2017).
Organisation and Management.
The probation agency will be in charge of recruiting and training treatment specialists. The Secretary of state for justice and also the national probation service management team has agreed to help the agency in the implementation and follow-up of the program’s activities.
Evaluation
To measure the level of the achievement, the program will incorporate an evaluation plan where the rate of reoffending will be accounted for semi-annually for every probationer who have gone through the program. They will also be examined to see their recovery level. This evaluation will always be compared with previous ones to track the performance of the program.
Grant Source
A federal grant will be appropriate for this proposal. A federal grant is a financial assistance provided by a federal agency and authorized by the United Sates government to be used on an achievement of a specific public purpose (Gov, 2015). Federal grants are multi-year awards, and the amount of money given to an agency depends on the program generating the request.
Federal grants is an appropriate source for the proposed program because the request is a federal legislation which is targeted by the source. Federal grants restrict their support only to federal legislation purposes (Dilger, 2015). Also, a federal grant will be appropriate because it is more likely to consider the program as it offers a discretionary assistance. This grant source is best appropriate for this program because it offers a public consideration which matches with the objectives of the federal government in offering an effective and safe environment for the US citizens.
References
Cochran, D., Corbett Jr, R. P., Nidorf, B., Buck, G. S., & Stiles, D. (2012). Managing probation with scarce resources: Obstacles and opportunities. BiblioGov.
https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/abstractdb/AbstractDBDetails.aspx?id=138817
Dilger, R. J. (2015). Federal Grants to State and Local Governments: A Historical Perspective on Contemporary Issues.
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc503336/m1/1/high_res_d/R40638_2015Mar05.pdf
Gov Website. (2015, June 17). Federal Grants. Free Grants Community. 2017, June 17, http://www.gofreegovernmentmoney.com/federal_grants.
Hyatt, J. M., & Barnes, G. C. (2017). An experimental evaluation of the impact of intensive supervision on the recidivism of high-risk probationers. Crime & Delinquency, 63(1), 3-38.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0011128714555757
Lowenkamp, C. T., Flores, A. W., Holsinger, A. M., Makarios, M. D., & Latessa, E. J. (2010). Intensive supervision programs: Does program philosophy and the principles of effective intervention matter?. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38(4), 368-375. http://www.d.umn.edu/~jmaahs/Correctional%20Continuum/Online%20Readings/ISP_rehab_lowenkamp%20and%20friends.pdf