The many different forensic settings such as prisons, jails, outpatient settings, community centers, residential treatment facilities, and specialized treatment centers provide many opportunities for working with forensic populations. Even within these settings, there are specific and differing programs that operate. For instance, a prison might operate an outpatient drug treatment program, a residential drug treatment program, and a sex offender program all in the same facility. In the outpatient setting, a helping professional might be called on to conduct sessions with anger management groups, domestic violence groups, substance abuse groups, and sex offenders after release. As a forensic treatment professional, assessing and understanding various forensic settings before entering them is critical in developing your professional practice. One way of doing this is to consider the various settings, and compare them based on external resources for forensic populations. For example, how do the available resources compare between a maximum security juvenile correctional facility and a residential juvenile treatment facility? The distinction between these forensic settings and the available resources for each can help you better understand the potential challenges and opportunities in your professional practice. To prepare for this Assignment: · Select two forensic settings in your community to compare in this assignment. · Consider the social support, available resources, and access to treatment for each forensic setting The Assignment (1–2 pages): · Identify the two forensic settings you selected from your community. · Compare (similarities and differences) the settings in terms of social support, available resources, and access to treatment. · Explain at least one conclusion you drew or insight you gained as a result of your comparison related to your role as a current/future helping professional. Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the resources for this course. Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Week 1: Introduction Welcome to the first week of Treatment of Forensic Populations . Helping professionals may work years in their professional settings and never think about treating forensic populations such as sex offenders, drug abusers and offenders, or violent offenders. In fact, some helping professionals shy away from such populations, choosing to believe that these people are best helped by remaining "locked up" or left to the resources of a prison treatment setting. Other professionals, however, see the benefits of working with challenging forensic populations. Not just for the person receiving services but also for the greater social good that can come from offering services to forensic populations. As a helping professional, understanding various forensic settings, crimes, and treatm ...

1. The many different forensic settings such as prisons, jails,
outpatient settings, community centers, residential treatment
facilities, and specialized treatment centers provide many
opportunities for working with forensic populations. Even
within these settings, there are specific and differing programs
that operate. For instance, a prison might operate an outpatient
drug treatment program, a residential drug treatment program,
and a sex offender program all in the same facility. In the
outpatient setting, a helping professional might be called on to
conduct sessions with anger management groups, domestic
violence groups, substance abuse groups, and sex offenders
after release.
As a forensic treatment professional, assessing and
understanding various forensic settings before entering them is
critical in developing your professional practice. One way of
doing this is to consider the various settings, and compare them
based on external resources for forensic populations. For
example, how do the available resources compare between a
maximum security juvenile correctional facility and a
residential juvenile treatment facility? The distinction between
these forensic settings and the available resources for each can
help you better understand the potential challenges and
opportunities in your professional practice.
To prepare for this Assignment:
· Select two forensic settings in your community to compare in
this assignment.
· Consider the social support, available resources, and access to
treatment for each forensic setting

2. The Assignment (1–2 pages):
· Identify the two forensic settings you selected from your
community.
· Compare (similarities and differences) the settings in terms of
social support, available resources, and access to treatment.
· Explain at least one conclusion you drew or insight you gained
as a result of your comparison related to your role as a
current/future helping professional.
Support your Assignment with specific references to all
resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a
reference list only for those resources not included in the
resources for this course.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Week 1: Introduction
Welcome to the first week of
Treatment of Forensic Populations
.
Helping professionals may work years in their professional
settings and never think about treating forensic populations
such as sex offenders, drug abusers and offenders, or violent
offenders. In fact, some helping professionals shy away from
such populations, choosing to believe that these people are best
helped by remaining "locked up" or left to the resources of a
prison treatment setting. Other professionals, however, see the
benefits of working with challenging forensic populations. Not
just for the person receiving services but also for the greater
social good that can come from offering services to forensic
populations. As a helping professional, understanding various

3. forensic settings, crimes, and treatments can facilitate advocacy
for positive social change as it affects forensic populations and
society at large.
This week, you examine the fundamentals of treating forensic
populations. You consider a variety of forensic settings that is,
the factors outside of treatment that can affect practice such as
social support, available resources, access to treatment, and
other practice challenges.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
· Apply characteristics of forensic populations to professional
practice goals
· Analyze similarities and differences among forensic settings
· Create treatment plans for forensic populations*
Note:
This learning objective is introduced in this week and assessed
in Week 10 of the course.
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Buchanan, S., & Nooe, R. M. (2017). Defining social work
within holistic public defense: challenges and implications for
practice.
Social work, 62
(4), 333-339.

4. Green, G., Thorpe, J., & Traupmann, M. (2005). The sprawling
thicket: Knowledge and specialisation in forensic social work.
Australian Social Work, 58
(2), 142-153.
Pence, D. M. (2011). Trauma-informed forensic child
maltreatment investigations.
Child Welfare, 90
(6), 49–68.
Robbins, S. P., Vaughan-Eden, V., & Maschi, T. M. (2014). It’s
not CSI: The importance of forensics for social work education.
Journal of Forensic Social Work, 4
(3), 171–175.
Sheehan, R. (2016). Forensic social work: Implementing
specialist social work education.
Journal of social work, 16
(6), 726-741.
Young, D. (2014). Social workers’ perspectives on effective
practice in criminal justice settings.
Journal of Forensic Social Work, 4
(2), 104–122.