Specialized Social Work Education: The Case for Social Work with Offenders

In the past, social workers have taken a lead in working with individuals involved with justice agencies and advocating for system change. Despite the fact that offender populations continue to increase in size and need, today there appears to be minimal involvement in this system by social workers. Using a mail survey of 400 social workers belonging to one of two U.S. professional organizations, we explore the impact of social work education on the likelihood of professionals choosing to practice with criminal offenders. Results indicate that social workers exposed to offender issues through specific coursework or offender internships during education are more likely to choose to work in justice settings. Implications of these findings for social work education are addressed.