Philosophy of Community Corrections

Conservative philosophers have enshrined punishment as the cornerstone of moral authority and thus the central purpose for intervention in response to crime. This philosophy of corrections generally places little credence in the capacity of most offenders to change behavior, except in response to a threat of incarceration. The liberal or progressive philosophy of corrections, by contrast, traditionally focuses on rehabilitative strategies that seek to treat the assumed underlying causes of crime. Accordingly, it is assumed that criminal justice intervention must be kept to a minimum. In a third approach, libertarians are skeptical of the motives of those seeking either to punish or to treat offenders; they are more concerned that intervention, no matter what the intent, often makes matters worse. Essential to any philosophical underpinning to community corrections, however, is the notion of treating the offender with dignity. The best effort at doing this today is through restorative justice.

Community corrections is a rubric for various activities and programs that are designed to encourage the offender's law-abiding behavior through the application of various forms of punishment and the use of treatment programs when necessary. The philosophy of community corrections is based on the notion that society is willing to take a chance on offenders who desire to stay crime-free and are willing to participate in programs intended to help them with their problems. Offenders are allowed to stay in the community as long as they comply with the conditions of probation, such as participating in drug treatment programs, maintaining employment, attending school, providing support and care for [Page 300]their families, and leading crime-free lives. Offenders are supervised by community corrections officers as long as they follow the prescribed plan put forward by the court. Failure to live according to these requirements can lead to imprisonment.

From the start, the purposes of community corrections were consistent with the belief that the offender benefited most from addressing concrete issues related to finding work or attending school. Community corrections personnel are drawn to this line of work because of their interest in people, their interpersonal skills, and their problem-solving abilities. The professional orientation of the community corrections officer, who is the bedrock of the profession, stems from several conditions. Community corrections personnel for the most part are required to have a college degree in the social sciences (particularly those related to social work, psychology, and other social sciences related to the field) and prior experience working with people and their problems.

Community corrections officers work in agencies with organizational structures that are far less militaristic and regimented than is generally found in law enforcement and other criminal justice fields. Community corrections personnel are encouraged to adapt to a professional culture that emphasizes a philosophy supportive of community corrections, a unique disciplinary language, a set of identified goals and objectives for the work, and a knowledge base necessary to do the job. Community corrections personnel further develop their professional orientation through the application of social science principles to their caseloads. These “clients” are met on a regular basis both in the office and in the field. During these meetings, the officer evaluates how the client is progressing in terms of education, work, family relationships, and any required treatment programs. Community corrections personnel also acquire a professional orientation by their association with the judiciary, with which they must work closely in developing the community corrections plan as the result of writing up a pre-sentence investigative report, on which the judge relies to get an accurate description the offender.

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