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Issue 3/2024 of the Social Work Review is dedicated to the role of social work in the criminal justice system. The choice of this theme has brought together a variety of theoretical and practical approaches. The articles proposed by the authors cover a broad spectrum of issues, ranging from reflections on the specifics of social research in the prison environment, the impact of changes in criminal legislation following events that have caused public emotion, the impact of burnout on staff working in prisons and probation systems, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work of those working in the prison system, and the specifics of intervention with dependent persons. The topics listed above represent only some of the themes proposed by the authors who responded to the editors' call.
Arpad Mathe's "Ethical and Methodological Considerations in Social Research on Incarcerated Individuals: Challenges and Solutions" addresses the ethical and methodological challenges faced by researchers conducting research involving incarcerated individuals. Ethical issues such as informed consent, confidentiality, and voluntary participation are addressed in the specific context of the limitations imposed by prison conditions. Based on an assessment of the literature as well as the researcher's direct experience, the article proposes solutions and best practices to improve the integrity of research conducted in prison settings.
Adelina-Bianca Negru, Luiza Vlaicu, Cosmin Goian, and Laurențiu Dincă proposed the article "Bullying: From Student Conflict to Juvenile Delinquency." Based on research conducted in schools in Timis and Gorj counties, the authors focused on identifying the most common forms of bullying and the factors that trigger bullying.
In the article "The Case of Vlad Pascu and Penal Populism", Gabriel Oancea and Ioana Liliana Puica address the consequences of the legislative changes following the accident from 2 Mai in summer of 2023. Rather an expression of political populism, these changes, implemented without any assessment of current practice in rehabilitation of drug users, will likely lead to an increase in the prison population and an increase in repression in cases involving drug users.
In her article "Practical Aspects Related to the Enforcement of the Obligation to Provide Unpaid Community Service Work", Alina Claudia Tudorache assesses the difficulties that both probation counsellors and representatives of community institutions face in enforcing sentences containing this obligation. The author emphasizes the importance of a correct understanding of the legal procedures as well as the importance of establishing a schedule in accordance with which the work is to be carried out. Probation services are also responsible for disseminating the legal procedures to community partners.
In the article "From Burnout to Resilience in the Activity of the Penitentiary Social Workers", Lucian Biru analyzed the literature from which he selected ten studies as the most relevant for workers in areas where social interaction with service recipients is necessary. Their conclusions reveal that burnout and resilience influence each other and highlight the importance of aspects such as physical activity, social support, regularly practiced relaxation programs, physical self-care, emotional distancing, social and emotional support, coupled with improved communication flows and encouraging open dialogue between staff and management.
Ioana Karina Ludu, in her article "The Prison Choir: A Potential Solution for Inmate's Aggressiveness," discusses the rehabilitative potential of involving inmates in choral activities. These activities are intended to help prisoners to manage their emotions while serving their sentence and to prepare them for release.
Delia-Gabriela Marin, in her article "Methodological Approaches Related to Management of Addiction in Correctional Systems" evaluates the specifics of case management in the case of drug-addicted persons in correctional services.
Sergiu-Lucian Raiu and Sorina Poledna, in their article "The Work of Social Workers in Romanian Penitentiaries During the COVID-19" studied the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work of social workers in penitentiaries, particularly by exploring the difficulties, resources, and professional solutions they used to carry out their work during the pandemic. Far from seeing the pandemic situation as a disaster, social workers saw it rather as a great challenge with unprecedented demands – a period during which they carried out the same work but in a different way. The pandemic was to take prison social workers out of their comfort zone, but in retrospect, they are satisfied with the way they carried out their interventions during the pandemic period.
Magdalena Roxana Necula, in her article "Family Violence in a Society of Contrasts: From Religious Traditionalism to Postmodern Reaction" emphasizes the importance of social workers taking into account the religious beliefs of victims of domestic violence. These beliefs can be an important supportive, but also destabilizing factor for the social worker's intervention when the victim considers, for example, divorce as a sin or the experiences of abuse as a trial from divinity.
Oana Stan, in "Myths and Realities Regarding Cannabis Use: Dimensions of Counseling" provides an overview of the most common "myths" that probation counselors face in assessment and intervention processes involving cannabis users. Statements such as "cannabis is not addictive" or "cannabis has only positive effects" serve to minimize the effects of use and perpetuate it. In the face of these challenges, the probation counselor needs to make intensive use of motivational interviewing and confront these beliefs with information from studies and research focusing on the effects of cannabis use, being emphasized the importance of an individualized intervention.
Narcis Iordache, in "The Therapeutic Approach in Probation Supervision of Drug Users" emphasizes the fact that at the Bucharest Probation Service, cases involving drug-related offenses have a significant share. In the two decades since the anti-drug legislation was drafted, it has undergone several substantial changes. Probation counselors encounter difficulties related to the insufficiency of interventions targeting drug users, highlighting the importance of specialized training, diversification of treatment programs, and strengthening inter-institutional collaboration.
Cornelia Nicoleta Bălă and Gabriel Oancea, in "Incidence of Burnout Syndrome in the Romanian Probation System" conduct research on the incidence of Burnout Syndrome against the background of substantial transformations undergone by the probation system since 2014. A review of the main theoretical landmarks as well as the results of a study carried out in 2020 using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is presented. The study concludes that burnout is a reality in the Romanian probation system and formulates recommendations to reduce its incidence.
Daciana Ramona Jivan, in her article "Graphical Methods that Can Be Used in Counseling Persons in the Evidence of Probation Services" emphasizes the importance of using graphical methods to facilitate the counseling process of persons with special needs in the evidence of probation services.
The editors would like to thank those who accepted the challenge of collaborating in the realization of this issue and hope that these articles will meet the expectations of those interested in the specifics of social work in the criminal justice system.
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