295Another area that needs to be examined in order to learn what went wrong
involves an assessment of prison programs unsuccessfully placed in communities.
These situations can be compared to those initiatives that were successfully imple-
mented. If we can learn why the public does not support a particular program versus
why it does, then maybe the same mistakes can be avoided in the future. If Susan
had learned why George disliked the group home so much, then she could have
taken steps to address the problem instead of having to spend her time responding
to each grievance.Mentally Disabled Inmates
Introduction
The prevalence of prisoners with mental retardation is relatively small, consisting
of approximately 2% of inmates in state and federal prisons (Conley, Luckasson, &
Bouthilet, 1992). However, this small population of inmates provides a great chal-
lenge to the correctional system given their need for specialized services. The
dilemma that exists concerns the handling of prisoners with mental retardation.
There is a concern for public safety due to their criminal behavior and there is a
concern for providing appropriate services (Exum, Turnbull, Martin, & Finn, 1992).
As a result, there is a constant struggle to maintain a balance between habilitation
and punishment that does not occur with the typical offender.Richard, a 28-year-old with mental retardation, was sentenced to prison for 3'/2 to
7 years for criminal mischief. This was his fifth arrest over a period of 3 years, and the
judge did not know what else to do but place Richard in prison. Richard was living in
a community home but had to be released because he resisted the services provided by
staff, who also were at a loss as to what would be best for him. During a period of 6
months in prison, Richard committed four infractions. The disciplinary review board
lost patience with him and decided to take away 6 months of good time for his last
infraction of fighting with other inmates. The guards are aware that Richard is not like
other prisoners, but they do not know how to help him stay out of trouble. Richard also
does not know how to stay out of trouble and feels that he must continue fighting in
order to keep harassment from other inmates to a minimum. He worries that he will not
be safe if he lets his guard down, (Exum et al., 1992)Literature Review
With the rise in correctional populations all over the country, there also has been an
increase in inmates like Richard who have mental disabilities and low IQs, falling
in the mentally retarded range (J. N. Hall, 1992). Because of this, prisons have
had to develop appropriate services and programs to assist these individuals. Before
an inmate can be given these special services, he or she must first be diagnosed as