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Therapeutic Recreation: An Underrated Aid in Forensic Rehabilitation

Christina Raymond

Communications Department, Lambton College

COM2033-Communications for Health

Anna Lakey

April 9, 2021
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Summary

The report entitled “Therapeutic Recreation: An Underrated Aid in Forensic

Rehabilitation” by Christina Raymond offers insight on therapeutic recreation inside forensic

rehabilitation facilities. Raymond briefly opens with who forensic rehabilitation targets and why

individuals may be sent to a forensic rehabilitation-focused facility. Next, she examines the

general stigma behind forensic rehabilitation. Raymond then discusses why therapeutic

recreation is an essential aid in the forensic rehabilitation realm, from the emotional and physical

benefits, right down to being a basic human right. She conveys the goals and outcomes of

practicing therapeutic recreation inside of a forensic rehabilitation facility.

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Therapeutic Recreation: An Underrated Aid in Forensic Rehabilitation

In recent years, studies have shown correctional institutions lack many things; support of

the physical and mental well-being of their inmates being one example. In consequence,

therapeutic recreation has recently become a staple in forensic rehabilitation care. Therapeutic

recreation is defined as a practical intervention encompassing education and recreation to enable

a person’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social skills, allowing them to be contributing

members of society (TRO, 2017). Recreation often gets overlooked in a forensic rehabilitation

setting simply because of who is enduring the rehabilitation; and the stigma behind the word

forensic. The purpose of this report is to discuss what forensic rehabilitation is, the demographic

targeted, the stigma behind it, why recreation is essential, and the goal of incorporating

therapeutic recreation. For this report, correctional institutions that specialize in detaining the

Not Criminally Responsible will be the focus when mentioning inmates.

Target Demographic

First of all, it is critical in deciphering who forensic rehabilitation targets. Generally, that

would be people who have a mental illness and have come into contact with the law (Bettridge &

Barbaree, 2012.) In other words, individuals who have committed a crime but have been found

Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) are detained in a mental health facility (CAMH, 2019). The

facilities are designed to safely ensure the treatment of their patients with the aid of therapeutic

recreation to assist in community reintegration (CAMH, 2019). According to Therapeutic

Recreation Ontario, these programs host individuals who possess a wide range of disorders, the

most common being Schizophrenia which, is roughly 68% of the people in programs (TRO,

2012). The Center for Addiction and Mental Health also articulates how “some people in the
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forensic mental health system are there because they have been violent, but non-violent offenses

also bring people into the forensic mental health system” (2019). Non-violent offenses include

but are not limited to theft, arson, mischief, or breaching court orders (CAMH, 2019).

The Stigma

Consequently, whether it be from media misrepresentation during a trial or a general lack

of knowledge by the public when it comes to mental disorders, people are under the assumption

that these people are hardened criminals and are not deserving of rehabilitation, let alone

therapeutic recreation (Diamond & Johnston, 2012). The distorted image is why it is so difficult

to ensure people are receiving the proper care needed. The public assumes the best way for

someone with a disorder to get better is to ship them off to a facility and load them up with

medications. However, professionals are now seeing that is not the case. As Charles Emmerys

states, “people get better in the community, they don’t get better in the way they could in

institutions” (2012). By strictly institutionalizing inmates under NCR classification, the

possibility of contributing to the negative self-perception of the individual increases (Diamond &

Johnston, 2012). Subsequently, this creates a significant impact on how the person is being

treated, as they may already suffer from self-doubt or poor self-esteem.

Why Therapeutic Recreation is Essential

As stated in the journal, The Cooperative Human, “human beings are a social species that

rely on cooperation to survive and thrive” (Nature Human Behaviour, 2018). Therefore, NCR

inmates must maintain human connections to receive proper rehabilitation. That is why

therapeutic recreation and leisurely activities are necessary for the assistance of rehabilitating.

Structured daytime activities are an essential aspect of forensic rehabilitation (Roberts et al,

2006, P.357). These activities, also known as interventions, contribute to managing symptoms of
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the person’s disorder in order to: help them come to terms with their illness, help the individual

to restore themselves emotionally, and assist in adjusting to their surrounding in an appropriate

manner (Messina & Iwasaki, 2017). By contrast, isolation and boredom wear down the

individual’s spirit, self-esteem, contributes to worsened physical and mental symptoms of their

disorder, all around negatively impacting them (Messina & Iwasaki, 2017). The United Nations

have stated in their Universal Declaration of Human Rights that everyone has a right to leisure

(2015). Thus, although someone may believe therapeutic recreation is unnecessary and an

extravagant bonus in a forensic rehabilitation facility, it is the NCR inmate’s right and is deemed

essential.

The Goal

According to Therapeutic Recreation Ontario, the goal of therapeutic recreation is to

“enable all individuals to achieve a quality of life and optimal health through meaningful

participation in recreation and leisure” (2017). Society forgets people who are incarcerated also

need to participate in recreation and leisure to stay healthy. The Center for Addiction and Mental

Health articulates the focus is to “rehabilitate and reintegrate people into the community” (2019).

Hence, therapeutic recreation is applied to treat patients’ mental illnesses (CAMH, 2019).

Although it may take several years and possible setbacks to attain results, certified recreational

therapists will work with a team to create a program designed to benefit the individual (TRO,

2012). Because every person and every disorder are different, the team will assess the individual

to determine their needs and most beneficial course of action (Diamond & Johnston, 2012). This

assessment will also determine whether or not the individual is a risk factor for community

outings (Diamond & Johnston, 2012). The heavy focus of therapeutic recreation incorporated

programs will ensure the inmate is maintaining proper treatment for their illness, furthermore,
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becoming a contributing member of society. will ensure the patient is maintaining proper

treatment for their illness, furthermore, becoming a contributing member of society.

Ultimately, one can see that therapeutic recreation is an essential asset involved with

forensic rehabilitation. Not only does it aid in the treatment of mental illnesses by improving a

person’s well-being emotionally and physically, but it enhances community involvement

(CAMH, 2019). While the negative stigma behind the word forensic may derail someone’s

positive outlook on promoting fun events for Not Criminally Responsible inmates, one must

remember that activities and socialization are still basic human rights (United Nations, 2015).

As recreation therapy grows as a profession and people gain more knowledge, therapeutic

recreation as an intervention in the rehabilitation field will become more widely invigorated.
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References

Bettridge, S., & Barbaree, H. (2012). The forensic mental health system in Ontario: An

information guide. Toronto: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

This guide provides insight into Ontario’s therapeutic recreation programs for forensic

rehabilitation. It tells us the ins and outs of what to expect, to why it’s so important.

Center for Addiction and Mental Health. (2019, August 08). Information about forensic mental

health. camh.ca. https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/information-about-

forensic-mental-health

Diamond J., & Johnston T. (Presenter). (2012). Re-integration: Keeping everyone safe

[PowerPoint slides]. Therapeutic Recreation Ontario Conference.

https://www.trontario.org/uploads/f2.pdf

This presentation breaks down the details of who benefits from therapeutic recreation in a

forensic rehabilitation facility and how it is utilized.

Messina, E. S., & Iwasaki, Y. (2017). A case study on staff perspectives of programming in a

forensic mental health treatment facility. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 51(1), 35-47.

This journal discusses in detail how therapeutic recreation is used to aid in the

rehabilitation of inmates and mentally ill individuals. It refers to both correctional and

mental health facilities.

Robert, G., Davenport, S., Holloway, F., & Tattan, T. (Eds.). (2006). Enabling recovery: The

principles and practice of rehabilitation psychiatry. Royal College of Psychiatrists. (1st

ed.)
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This book acknowledges how activities act as an intervention to provide care for optimum

well-being.

The Cooperative Human. (2018). Nature Human Behaviour, 2(7), 427-428. DOI:

10.1038/s/41562-018-0389-1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s/41562-018-0389-1

United Nations. (2015). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. un.org

https://www.un.org/en/udhrbook/pdf/udhr_booklet_en_web.pdf