Amy,
I found an article that you should find interesting. The article referenced Dialectical Behavior Therapy as a form of therapy used in correctional facilities to help inmates receive the needed therapy before they return to society. This type of therapy may not be available at facilities where you reside, but it may be a good research resource for different types of therapy provided in correctional facilities today. It was an older article from 2010, but still relevant somewhere.
Sampl, S., Wakai, S., & Trestman, R.L., (2010) Translating evidence-based practices from community to corrections: An example of implementing DBT-CM. The Journal of Behavior Analysis of Offender and Victim Treatment and Prevention, 2(2), 114-123. http://doi.org/10.1037/h0100463Links to an external site.
The resources needed in correctional facilities is not always up to modern standards. Due to their location and size, the resources that inmates receive may depend on funding from local or state entities. There is always paperwork involved to make changes for the better within a facility. If a facility is remote and small, it may take longer for Board personnel to visit a facility and document the need for more counselors. Sometimes there is only one counselor available to help the inmates and they can only see so many clients per day, week, or month. These individuals may have to provide counseling to several rural facilities at one time. Long hours and funding for lodging may not be available for the counselors at all times.
The rise of depression and other mental health issues is not helping the situation. Sometimes inmates have to seek professional help after they have been released. The resources available to them where they are now residing may be different then when they were imprisoned.
Overall, i think the therapy a criminal receives in prison is good, but the resources can definitely improve.
