The main problem that emerges in the department of corrections is what do they do with these criminal offenders. Should they get tough and lock them up and throw away the key in hope that this will serve as an example to potential criminal offenders. Should they just simply lock up the criminals and isolate them from the rest of society. These are valid options that have been previously experimented with in the United States and to a certain extent are still being experimented with. The trouble with these options is that they create sever overcrowding of our prisons, which in turn digs deeper into the pockets of law abiding citizens. On average it cost about $56 per day for each inmate, which is a little over $20,000 a year. (1999 corrections yearbook) The United States prison populati

· Mahoney, M.J., & Lyddon, W.J. (1988). Recent developments in cognitive approaches to counseling and psychotherapy. The Counseling Psychologist, 16.

· Internet source. http://www.bsos.umd.edu/ccjs/corrections/Doc/Copyof%20wareport.htm

s likely to be arrested (4%) than those in no treatment (29%). (Martin)

y. Moral Reconation tries to improve criminal offenders moral reasoning to reduce their delinquent behavior, thus also reducing recidivism. Moral Reconation Therapy participants had a lower reincarceration rate (41.2%) than control group (56.2%). (Little) Moral Reconation Therapy is effective in reducing the recidivism of offenders.

· Fabiano, E.A., Porporino, F.J., & Robinson, D. (1991). Canada's cognitive skills program corrects offenders faulty thinking. Corrections Today, 53

Rehabilitation was an option that was experimented with back during the progressive era. Inmates were diagnosed with a problem and were treated for that problem during the time that they were incarcerated in the event that they may rejoin society. Society needs to invest more of their tax dollars in rehabilitation programs than in prisons. In these programs and sanctions there has to be some type of treatment involve that will point out the risk factors in the offender and treat that risk factor. Out of all the correctional approaches, rehabilitation is the most effective approach to reduce recidivism.

Another form of rehabilitation that is productive is community-based programs for chemically dependent offenders, since the majority of people arrested have been under the influence of some drug or alcohol when they committed the crime. The National Institute of Justice's Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) program consistently finds high rates of illicit drug use among arrestees in the 24 participating cities nationwide. In 1995, between 47 and 78 perce

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