Rehabilitation Essay: Background, Successes, Failures, and Future

This essay delves into the multifaceted concept of rehabilitation, defining it as a process that aims to restore the health, dignity, and productive lives of individuals affected by addiction, illness, or imprisonment. It explores the legal and practical aspects of rehabilitation, distinguishing between health-focused centers and correctional facilities. The essay investigates the historical background of rehabilitation, its underlying principles, and the assumptions upon which it is based. It then critically analyzes the successes and failures of rehabilitation programs, particularly within the American correctional system, examining the impact of therapeutic interventions and the challenges of preventing recidivism. Finally, the essay offers a forward-looking perspective, emphasizing the need for skill-building, counseling, and a shift away from punitive measures to enhance the overall well-being and reintegration of individuals into society. The conclusion underscores the importance of rehabilitation not only as a means of addressing past issues but also as a pathway to redemption and a dignified future.

Running head: REHABILITATION
REHABILITATION
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Notes

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Introduction
Rehabilitation can be defined as the action that helps to restore the health or dignity of
someone that had been damaged either through addiction, illness or imprisonment. The legal
definition of rehabilitation refers to the fact that the former rights, abilities and authorities of a
person are restored. Rehabilitation of a prisoner refers to preparing that individual to carry out a
productive life. It helps the individual who has lost his/her dignity to re-integrate into the society
and lead a normal and productive life (Ward, 2016).
With respect to health, rehabilitation centers can be defined as a place where an individual is
subjected to therapies and treatments in order to lead a normal and healthy life after years of
alcohol or drug addiction (Wolff et al., 2015). On the other hand, a correctional rehabilitation
center provides probation or penal custody or parole for individuals who have been convicted for
being offenders of the law and order system (Www.omh.ny.gov, 2018).
This essay will provide a description of the background of rehabilitation, its success,
failures and future outlooks.
Issue
These are the individuals undertaking rehabilitation have the expertise to identify the
criminogenic risk factors and provide appropriate interventions. However, such knowledge and
expertise are hugely lacking. Moreover, the other assumption is that the correctional staff will
carry out the intervention in accordance with therapeutic principles and keeping in mind the best
interests of the offenders. However, in the modern world the correctional system’s decision is
based on treatment policies and on the custodial and political considerations. However, the lack

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of skills and knowledge as well as the inability to prevent recidivism results in the failure of the
correctional rehabilitation system (Academyforjustice.org, 2018).
Background
Rehabilitation was founded keeping in mind that individuals in the society have the
inherent right to their well-being. The rehabilitation ideal is based on the principles of the
medical model with the aim to cure ailments. Similarly, crime is also considered to be an illness,
where the choices or actions of the individuals are influenced by certain risk factors, which in
turn leads to significant offences with respect to both the society as well as the nation. The ideal
of rehabilitation is based on 2 assumptions, which are highly challenging.
Success and Failure
The success of rehabilitation lies in the fact that it helps to differentiate between negative
outcomes and positive adjustments. In healthcare the success of rehabilitation lies in the fact that
use of therapeutic interventions enables the patients to carry out their daily activities, which in
turn helps to re-integrate them into the society. Rehabilitation professional provide individuals
with a positive outlook to life and provide hope to those whose lives have been damaged by a life
altering condition. The success of the American correctional rehabilitation centers is based on the
fact that therapeutic communities have been introduced into the prison systems. The
rehabilitation of substance abusers is based on focused treatment, thereby helping to carry out
effective rehabilitation and preventing recidivism. However, it challenged the concept that
“nothing works” in correctional rehabilitation (Www.spectrumcorrections.org, 2018).

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Outlook for the future
However, in order to increase the success of rehabilitation the future outlook should be to not use
punishment but to use rehabilitation, skill building and counseling programs to enhance the
individual’s social, academic and employment skills (Www.apa.org, 2018).
Conclusion
Rehabilitation is to protect an individual‘s rights and authority that has been damaged
due to illness, addiction or imprisonment. This helps them to lead a healthy and normal life,
however, there is lacking knowledge how this practice aligns with therapeutic principles and
works best in their needs. The success of this practice lies in using these therapeutic interventions
for restoring the well-being of the people who are detained due to certain reasons. Rehabilitation
should be used for skill building and enhancing one’s overall development that forms the basis
for future outlook. Thus, it can be concluded that rehabilitation should not only be seen as the
end of the past problems but also to achieve redemption and move on in life with dignity.

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Reference List
Academyforjustice.org. (2018). Retrieved 2 January 2018, from http://academyforjustice.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/10/12_Criminal_Justice_Reform_Vol_4_Correctional-
Rehabilitation.pdf
Ward, T. (2016). Prediction and agency: The role of protective factors in correctional
rehabilitation and desistance. Aggression and violent behavior.
Wolff, N., von Hippel, C., Brener, L., & von Hippel, W. (2015). Implicit identification with drug
and alcohol use predicts retention in residential rehabilitation programs. Psychology of
Addictive Behaviors, 29(1), 136.
Www.apa.org. (2018). Rehabilitate or punish?. http://www.apa.org. Retrieved 2 January 2018,
from http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/rehab.aspx
Www.omh.ny.gov. (2018). Retrieved 2 January 2018, from
https://www.omh.ny.gov/omhweb/forensic/manual/html/chapter1.htm
Www.spectrumcorrections.org, P. (2018). Prison Rehabilitation Success: The Untold
Story. Spectrumcorrections.org. Retrieved 2 January 2018, from
http://www.spectrumcorrections.org/resources/blog/entry/prison-rehabilitation-success-
the-untold-story