Clark Peters. Photo courtesy of the University of Missouri School of Social Work.

Social workers are better able to help youth offenders stay out of the correctional system than law enforcement officials, University of Missouri School of Social Work Assistant Professor Clark Peters said in this article in the Columbia Daily Tribune.

That is because social workers can provide educational opportunities, drug and alcohol counseling, mental health treatment and other services to keep youth from becoming repeat offeders,  said Peters, MSW, JD, PhD.

Correctional officers are more focused more on punishing offenders and maintaining authority, he said.

“Once we turn away from simply locking people up for a long time, social workers will be in a great position to re-energize a rehabilitative ideal that focuses on safely transitioning offenders back into their communities,” Peters said.

Despite the benefits they bring, the article said only two percent of trained social workers work in correctional facilities.

To learn more about social work in the corrections system click here to read the National Association of Social Workers report, “Criminal Justice Social Work in the United States: Adapting to Change.” And to find out how social workers help youth overcome life’s challenges visit NASW’s Help Starts Here Kids & Families web site by clicking here.