Positive Relationships are Needed to Reduce Recidivism

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near

(Hebrews 10:24-25).

The quality of the clinician/probation officer alliance with the ex-offender will determine therapeutic outcome and obedience to social behavior, thereby reducing recidivism. Social control consists of individuals who influence others to comply with or violate social rules. Ex-offenders' social network is often indicative of the criminal element or environment in which they resided upon incarceration and often returned to these same environments of negative influence when released from incarceration.

Carter and Feld stated that co-occurring substance abuse individuals belong to three stigmatized groups, consisting of other probationers with co-occurring problems.[1] Because of this smaller network, they are limited to information access, social influence, and social support. Small networks can have a negative impact on a probationer’s outcome. Limited networking affects social outcomes by minimizing exposure to social norms. Individual members in a network may exercise control in a manner that positively or negatively affects an individual’s social norm.[2]

Skeem, Louden, Manchak, Vidal, and Haddad proclaimed their work is the first to research probationers with co-occurring problems and their compliance with rules.[3] This study found networks that are large and predominantly consist of people who favor social compliance and have fewer probation violations are predicted greater adherence to treatment outcomes.[4] Probationers who had positive relationships with their clinician (and probation officers) had high adherence to treatment and low risk of probation violations.[5] Probationers with co-occurring problems spend most of their lives with a core network, which is heavily comprised of friends and family members who have been arrested, regularly use drugs, or drink heavily.[6] Probationers with co-occurring problems include a few positive role models, and many violators, such as drug users, are less likely to adhere to mandated treatment.

Probationers with co-occurring problems (PCPs) were more satisfied with their lives when they perceived more social support and less social undermining from their clinician.[7] The article argued against social undermining, and social support is uncorrelated to PCPs' outcome to rules and compliance. Additionally, the article stated that this non-relationship is consistent with only one other study of the relationship between social support and rule compliance.[8] This study results suggested that social support and social undermining are relevant to good health outcomes and reducing recidivism.

PCPs who reported positive relationships with their clinicians not only felt less coerced into treatment but had higher recent treatment attendance.[9] These PCPs also had fewer recent probations violation and a lesser risk of future probation violations than those who did not have a positive relationship with their clinicians.[10] If clinicians desire to increase PCP's compliance with the rules, positive relationships that influence the PCPs must be integrated into treatment.[11] Technical procedures, which consist of medication, treatment models, and supervision programs, are crucial. However, if effective social control is applied respectfully in the context of high-quality relationships, it is just as effective, if not more.[12]

[1] W.C. Carter, and Scott L. Feld, “Principles Relating Social Regard to Size and Density of Personal Networks, with Applications to Stigma.” Social Networks, 26, no. 4 (2004): 323-329. [2] Jennifer Skeem, Jennifer Eno Louden, Sarah Manchak, Sarah Vidal, and Eileen Haddad, “Social Networks and Social Control of Probationers with Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Abuse Problems.,” Law and Human Behavior 33, no. 2 (2009): 123. [3] ibid., 122. [4] ibid., 130. [5] ibid., 131. [6] ibid., 133. [7] ibid., 134. [8] ibid., 130. [9] ibid., 130. [10] ibid., 131. [11] ibid., 131. [12] ibid., 132.