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Abstract: 

Many argue that rehabilitation is a needed component of criminal justice and penal systems. Even so, there continues to be debate within criminology and indeed among those tasked with providing rehabilitative supports, about “what works.” This article outlines a brief history of crime theory and impacts on punishment and rehabilitation, ending in a discussion of current penal regimes that are based in a risk-management paradigm. Grounding her argument in her experience as a practitioner working with women in a Canadian provincial prison, the author asks how this current risk-management model affects rehabilitative services. Models of risk management are based on statistical classification of offenders, and programing is provided based on categorization in an offender subcategory. Therefore, it is argued that models of risk management undervalue the core element of providing services aimed at desistance, i.e., listening to how offenders frame their own goals for changing behaviors. The article concludes with reflections on how service providers can work to provide rehabilitative services that support desistance processes.

Keywords: Criminal justice, rehabilitation, crime theory, risk-management models, “what works”

Affiliations:  1: Memorial University of Newfound and Labrador.