Leslie Bennett | PubMed Health

PubMed2002

Development and implementation of a program for offenders with developmental disabilities.

The need for a comprehensive range of services for persons with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities who enter the criminal justice system has been well-established. However, such services are unavailable to most offenders with developmental disabilities. Here we describe the services of one agency devoted to this population. Established in 1990, this agency has provided education and training to over 1,500 professionals, answered over 1,000 information and referral questions, and provided direct services to over 600 offenders with developmental disabilities. Recommendations for developing and implementing similar programs are offered. Areas addressed include assessing need, funding, composition of boards of directors, program philosophy, selection of program services, staffing, the referral process, and program evaluation.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Recidivism among offenders with developmental disabilities participating in a case management program.

This study examined recidivism, defined as arrests, among 252 clients who were accepted into a case management program for offenders with developmental disabilities. Overall, 40% of clients were arrested while participating in the program, and 34% were arrested within 6 months after case closure. The crimes for which clients were arrested tended to be minor: 21% were for probation or parole violations not associated with new criminal acts, 39% were for misdemeanors, 27% were nonviolent felonies, and 12% were for felonies against persons. Clients who completed the program (N=115) were less likely to be arrested after case closure than those who dropped out of the program (N=112), 25 and 43%, respectively. Other factors associated with arrests after case closure included having a developmental disability other than mental retardation, living in an urban area, being referred to the program by a criminal justice agency or through a private referral rather than a social service agency, and being arrested while in the program. Implications are discussed for service provision and evaluation of programs that work with offenders with developmental disabilities.

Adolescent↗