Guidelines for social workers visiting and working inside corrections facilities.

Abstract

The NASW Code of Ethics states, “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.” This certainly sounds applicable to social workers in correctional settings. For whatever reasons, relatively few social workers have ever visited, volunteered, or worked in these facilities. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider.