Correction Treatment Programs

Why can some prison inmates benefit from correctional treatment programs and some do not?
Addiction to drugs- Addiction is a prominent phenomenon within prison’s populous. Many individuals in prison have been incarcerated due to issues related to a drug offense, such as the acquisition of drug paraphernalia or driving under alcohol influence. There mental health disorders related to addiction such as post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. These individuals tend to have a problem in acquiring the full benefit of correctional treatment programs relative to other inmates (Duwe, 2017).
Program integrity- Some programs tend to deviate from their original principalities. They interfere with the effectiveness of the correctional intervention making it more of an ideal instead of reality. As such, there is the existence of inconsistent programming dosage and recidivism risk which makes it difficult to implement validated risk assessment tools. Some prisons end up benefiting more from the program than others.
Quality of literature regarding what works-Often; meta-analysis is normally conducted on research findings regarding individual program evaluation. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been used severally within corrections. Research shows that there are various problems associated with RCTs when applied within correctional facilities such as recidivism risks, small sample size and failure to consider program dropouts (Duwe, 2017). As such, there is a problem in achieving equivalence as expected among inmates.
What stands in the way of some criminals being \”rehabilitated?
The prison context imposes constraints and restrictions which are not common elsewhere. Prison staffs experience challenges such as social, pedagogical, psychological, and didactical on-going support. Several factors stand in the way of some criminals being rehabilitated, such as hopelessness & trauma, gender-specific issues, inmate culture/identity, sanctions/incentives, coerced treatment, disincentives for inmate participation, and treatment components. Incarcerated prisons have considerable differences; however, they are subjected to similar experiences within the prison context. Prisons environment can be psychologically damaging, harsh, violent, depersonalizing or dehumanizing. Such aspects tend to interfere with the rehabilitation process of some inmates (Abuse, 2005).

References
Abuse, S. (2005). Mental Health Services Administration: Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Addiction in Opioid Treatment Programs (TIP 43). Rockville, MD.
Duwe, G. (2017). The use and impact of correctional programming for inmates on pre-and post-release outcomes. US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.