CASE MANAGEMENT FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICR
NT OF J
US
S
G OVC
RA
MS
DE
PA
N
BJ A C E
I
OF F
Office of Justice Programs
ME
RT
CE
TI
U.S. Department of Justice
IJ
J
O F OJJ D P B RO
J US T I C E P
National Institute of Justice
National Institute of Justice
R
e
s
e
a
r
c
h
i
n
A c t i o n
February 1999
Jeremy Travis, Director
Highlights
Jurisdictions across the country have adopted case management techniques to combat recidivism, homelessness, and joblessness. Case management is being used for arrestees, probationers, and parolees who need services such as batterer intervention, drug treatment, mental health treatment, or to provide help for mentally retarded offenders.
This Research in Action examines different criminal justice case management models and critical issues regarding existing case management programs.
The case management of offenders is most likely to be supervised by probation and parole officers. Based on the social service models of the late 1960s and early 1970s, today’s criminal justice case management models link inmates returning to the community with drug treatment programs, mental health services, and social service agencies prior to their release.
The fundamental activities of criminal justice case management include engaging the client in the treatment process, assessing the client’s needs, developing a service plan, linking the client with appropriate services, monitoring client progress, intervening with sanctions when necessary, and advocating for the client as needed. Case management within a criminal justice context requires the case manager to take on additional tasks beyond those assumed by traditional social service case workers.
In the original social work setting, the case manager served exclusively as a broker of services but did not become involved in counseling the client. In the criminal justice setting, case managers broker services but also are likely to provide informal guidance to their clients. Case managers interviewed for this report consider
US
S
G OVC
RA
MS
DE
PA
N
BJ A C E
I
OF F
Office of Justice Programs
ME
RT
CE
TI
U.S. Department of Justice
IJ
J
O F OJJ D P B RO
J US T I C E P
National Institute of Justice
National Institute of Justice
R
e
s
e
a
r
c
h
i
n
A c t i o n
February 1999
Jeremy Travis, Director
Highlights
Jurisdictions across the country have adopted case management techniques to combat recidivism, homelessness, and joblessness. Case management is being used for arrestees, probationers, and parolees who need services such as batterer intervention, drug treatment, mental health treatment, or to provide help for mentally retarded offenders.
This Research in Action examines different criminal justice case management models and critical issues regarding existing case management programs.
The case management of offenders is most likely to be supervised by probation and parole officers. Based on the social service models of the late 1960s and early 1970s, today’s criminal justice case management models link inmates returning to the community with drug treatment programs, mental health services, and social service agencies prior to their release.
The fundamental activities of criminal justice case management include engaging the client in the treatment process, assessing the client’s needs, developing a service plan, linking the client with appropriate services, monitoring client progress, intervening with sanctions when necessary, and advocating for the client as needed. Case management within a criminal justice context requires the case manager to take on additional tasks beyond those assumed by traditional social service case workers.
In the original social work setting, the case manager served exclusively as a broker of services but did not become involved in counseling the client. In the criminal justice setting, case managers broker services but also are likely to provide informal guidance to their clients. Case managers interviewed for this report consider