Corrections

Special Needs Inmates

Special needs inmates affect the jails and federal prisons because it costs more to house an inmate that might be sick or special handing, or on medications. Also the employees that are taking care of the special need inmates have to be qualified to care of them. They also have PSU counselors to help with suicidal inmates and drug addictions. The cost of programs for special needs is also way higher than a normal housed facility. Some prison facilities are medical facilities only. If an inmate was not cared for properly and they became more ill or passed away and there was a qualified employee this could result in a lawsuit, termination, and in some cases the worker can be charged with neglect of an inmate.

In Bernalillo county Detention center there is a program called ATP Addiction Treat Program. This program is design to help in-housed inmates with drug addictions, drinking, and substance abuse (Mdc,Bernco,gov, 2011). The special needs inmates have to be ordered by a judge to complete the program and then usually get released upon completion. Sometime this program is not taking seriously by offenders and they just complete the program to get released and do not use the methods thought to them to help with these problems. In Bernalillo County there is also Matts which is very similar to ATP but it for people who are not in custody. In order to help offenders and users they themselves need to want help in order to succeed and stay out of jail.