Contemporary Issues in Corrections Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contemporary Issues in Corrections - Assignment Example Developed in 1990, the theory of RNR incorporates criminal conduct psychology into an understanding of reducing recidivism (Andrews & Bonta, 2006). From this concept, four principles are derived on which the evaluation and treatment of offenders are guided towards rehabilitative objectives and also reduce the risk of recidivistic crime to the society. Two of the principles are the risk principle and the need principle (MacKenzie, 2006). This paper will compare and contrast the risk principle and need principle and determine which offenders between the high risk and low risk the probation officers should spend most of their time with. It will further elaborate on what the need principle says about high risk and low risk offenders and show whether there are risk and need tools that may assist probation officers in determining risk levels of offenders. Reviewing literature on offender rehabilitation has shown that program services provided to offenders has reduced recidivism by a mean of 10% in the past two decades (Andrews & Bonta, 2006). Recidivism is understood to be the repeating of undesirable behaviour by offenders even after experiencing its negative consequences. In this sense, it is also in reference to the percentage of rearrested former prisoners for indulging in similar offenses. As stated by the risk principle, programming must be matched to the offenders’ risk level. This implies that high risk or moderate risk individuals need to be prioritized in order to receive more intensive and structured control and treatment programs to optimize outcomes. Similarly, low risk offenders must be prioritized when their criminogenic needs are high. Criminogenic needs are dynamic factors that produce crime and are correlated strongly with risk (MacKenzie, 2006). They are referred to as dynamic because they can be changed and they include an individual’s employment status, use of substances, company kept, antisocial