Correctional Assessment and Intervention (Soc 3369) Home Page

Course Description: Correctional Assessment and Intervention is an upper level class that covers issues germane to intervention with criminal offenders. The first section of the class focuses attention on the philosophical (should we intervene?) and pragmatic (what, if any, programs "work") debates in the correctional treatment. Special attention is given to the social context within which different philosophical positions are popular. The second section of the class covers strategies for classifying criminal offenders with respect to treatment needs and risk. The final section of the class covers the various treatment modalities currently used to treat offenders, as well as treatment programs for special populations (sex offenders, substance abusers).

Specific course objectives for students include:

• To gain a working knowledge of the different type of rehabilitation/treatment programs currently used by practitioners.
• To learn the issues and arguments that inform the debate over whether criminal offenders should be treated.
• To become familiar with the tools used to assess criminal offenders (dangerousness/risk, treatment needs).
• To understand the methods used to assess the effectiveness of treatment programs.