Social work is a profession that helps advocate for people or groups which includes everyone, regardless of social status. This also includes the promotion of social justice and advocation for marginalized people. In fact, policy practice is considered a very important component of social work practice and the participation of social workers in policy practice that would heighten the focus for rehabilitation. Sadly, their efforts seem as if they aren't helping much since rehabilitation doesn't always produce the lasting outcomes intended by social workers. The significant influence on the profession of social work in the field of study and area of practice is uniquely designed to help everyone in a way that is beneficial to all those involved. There is evidence that shows that policy practice has paved its way into different areas of social work skills to help the formalization of the social work profession. Social workers are held up to a substantial power to influence policy being implemented by policy makers (Schorr, A.L. (1985). 'Professional practice as policy', Social Service Review, 59 (2), pp. 178-96; Scott, W.R. and Davis, G.F. (2007) Organizations and Organizing: Rational, Natural and Open System Perspectives, Upper Saddle River, Pearson Prentice Hall). In practice, social workers gain experiences that help them become great advocates because they develop an understanding of the challenges that their clients face from presenting problems, holistic environmental factors, and the recognition of strengths acquired by their clients which are drawn on to assist them. For these reasons, social workers can help create change in policy practice.

First, a social worker engaged in policy practice can positively impact the criminal justice system by heightening its focus on rehabilitation in several ways: 1. Advocacy: Social workers can advocate for policies that prioritize rehabilitation over punishment. This could involve lobbying lawmakers, raising public awareness, and organizing campaigns to change public opinion. They can highlight the benefits of rehabilitation, such as reduced recidivism rates, cost-effectiveness, and the potential for offenders to become productive members of society. Hoefer(2019) describes the "unified model of policy practice" as a clinical approach that combines generalist practice with policy practice. In this unified model, the therapist asks clients to become social change agents. They are encouraged to advocate first or themselves to address challenges or injustices they are facing in their lives and then to make broader changes that will affect the entire community. The clients are empowered while the clinicians also address clinical issues through generalist practice.

Second, Research and Evidence-Based Policy: Social workers can conduct or utilize research to demonstrate the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs. This evidence can be used to influence policy decisions and encourage the adoption of more rehabilitative approaches. Program Development and Implementation: Social workers can be involved in the development and implementation of rehabilitation programs. They can ensure these programs are designed to address the root causes of criminal behavior, such as poverty, lack of education, substance abuse, and mental health issues.

Third, Training and Education: Social workers can provide training and education to other professionals in the criminal justice system about the benefits of rehabilitation. This could involve training police officers, judges, and prison staff to understand and support rehabilitative approaches. Direct Practice: Social workers can work directly with offenders to support their rehabilitation. This could involve providing counseling, helping offenders to access services, and supporting them to reintegrate into society after their release. Collaboration: Social workers can collaborate with other stakeholders in the criminal justice system, such as probation officers, lawyers, and community organizations, to promote a focus on rehabilitation.

By doing these, a social worker can help shift the focus of the criminal justice system from punishment to rehabilitation, which can lead to better outcomes for offenders and society as a whole.Social workers are not the same thing as social justice. Instead, social workers strive to achieve alongside their clients and colleagues. Social justice is also for those who are not social workers. These include citizens, community organizers, nonprofit organizations, elected officials, and activists. Social work recognizes the numerous social injustices that persist in society and requires professional social workers to be aware of these injustices and work toward change. As noted in the NASW Code of Ethics, social workers should work with and on behalf of their clients. Schools of social work prepare the social worker to work toward social justice through policy practice and advocacy. Policy practice entails empowering clients to advocate for change independently and in communities. Policy advocacy means advocating for change on behalf of vulnerable groups. Policy advocacy is slightly different. It involves working for social justice via policy change on behalf of vulnerable populations. A social worker may join a coalition or work with community members, or she might be more of an individual activist. However, all social workers can achieve greater social justice as policy advocates no matter where they work.

References:

Ankur, Saxena & Chandrapal, Sneha. (April 2022).Social Work and Policy Practice: Understanding the Role of Social Workers. The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 52, Issue 3, Pages 1632-1642, https//doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab073

The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model)

Criminal Justice Social Work | MSWGuide.org

https://www.mswguide.org/careers/criminal-justice-social-work/

NASW Center for Workforce Studies

https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=n8L3HaALWb8%3d&portalid=0