Prison life is often characterized by drug use, racial intolerance, and violence. This culture of criminality is juxtaposed to treatment efforts that address the criminogenic needs and risks that are associated with inmate institutional rule violations and reoffending in the community, thereby creating seemingly insurmountable challenges for treating clinicians. Rather than fighting a losing battle between treating staff and inmate peers, a more effective strategy may be to utilize family members as resources and allies in the process of change for incarcerated individuals. Challenges and solutions to family therapy prison program implementation are discussed.
AndrewsD. A., BontaJ. (2010). The psychology of criminal conduct (5th ed.). LexisNexis Matthew Bender.
2.
AndrewsD. A., BontaJ., WormithJ. S. (2006). The recent past and near future of risk and/or need assessment. Crime & Delinquency, 52(1), 7–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128705281756
3.
BarrettiL. M., BeitinB. K. (2010). Creating internships in marriage and family therapy: A collaboration between a training program and an offender reentry facility. Contemporary Family Therapy, 32(1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-009-9109-3
4.
CarrA. (2014). The evidence base for couple therapy, family therapy and systemic interventions for adult-focused problems. Journal of Family Therapy, 36(2), 158–194. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12033
5.
CelinskaK. (2015). Effectiveness of functional family therapy for mandated versus non-mandated youth. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 66(4), 17–27. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.12049
6.
DatchiC. C., BarrettiL. M., ThompsonC. M. (2016). Family services in adult detention centers: Systemic principles for prisoner reentry. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 5(2), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000057
7.
DatchiC. C., SextonT. L. (2013). Can family therapy have an effect on adult criminal conduct? Initial evaluation of functional family therapy. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 2(4), 278–293. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034166
8.
DowdenC., AndrewsD. A. (2000). Effective correctional treatment and violent reoffending: A meta-analysis. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 42(4), 449–467.
9.
GendreauP., FrenchS. A., GionetA. (2004). What works (what doesn’t work): The principles of effective correctional treatment. Journal of Community Corrections, 13(3), 4–10.
10.
HenggelerS. W., SchaefferC. M. (2016). Multisystemic therapy®: Clinical overview, outcomes, and implementation research. Family Process, 55(3), 514–528. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12232
11.
HofmannS. G., AsnaaniA., VonkI. J. J., SawyerA. T., FangA. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427–440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1
12.
KolkoD. J., CampoJ., KilbourneA. M., HartJ., SakolskyD., WisniewskiS. (2014). Collaborative care outcomes for pediatric behavioral health problems: A cluster randomized trial. Pediatrics, 133(4), e981-e992. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-2516
13.
LipseyM. W., LandenbergerN. A., WilsonS. J. (2007). Effects of cognitive-behavioral programs for criminal offenders. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 6. https://doi.org/10.4073/csr.2007.6
14.
MinuchinS. (1974). Families and family therapy. Harvard University Press.
15.
PetersiliaJ. (2003). When prisoners come home: Parole and prisoner reentry. Oxford University Press.
RojasE. C., PetersR. H. (2016). Evidence-based practices for co-occurring disorders in offenders. Addiction Research & Theory, 24(3), 223–235. https://doi.org/10.3109/16066359.2015.1102896
18.
ShowalterD., Williams JonesC. (1980). Marital and family counseling in prisons. Social Work, 25(3), 224–228. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/25.3.224
19.
SimonsI., MulderE., BreukR., MosK., RigterH., van DomburghL., VermeirenR. (2017). A program of family-centered care for adolescents in short-term stay groups of juvenile justice institutions. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 11, 61. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-017-0203-2
20.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach (SMA 14-4884). Author. https://store.samhsa.gov/system/files/sma14-4884.pdf
21.
SwankJ. M., GagnonJ. C. (2016). Mental health services in juvenile correctional facilities: A national survey of clinical staff. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25(9), 2862–2872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0436-3
22.
SzapocznikJ., WilliamsR. A. (2000). Brief strategic family therapy: Twenty-five years of interplay among theory, research and practice in adolescent behavior problems and drug abuse. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 3(2), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009512719808
23.
UnderwoodL. A., PhillipsA., von DresnerK., KnighP. D. (2006). Critical factors in mental health programming for juveniles in corrections facilities. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 2(1), 107–140. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0100771
