A Treatment Program for the Developmentally Disabled Mentally Retarded Offender

• Published date: 01 April 1986
• DOI: 10.1177/003288558606600110
• Author: Norm Kramer
• Date: 01 April 1986
• Subject Matter: Articles

85

A

Treatment

Program

for

the

Developmentally

Disabled

Mentally

Retarded

Offender

Norm

Kramer*

*The

author

is

program

director

of

Camarillo

State

Hospital’s

I nter-

mediate

Care

Facility

for

the

Developmentally

Disabled.

Camarillo

State

Hospital

and

Developmental

Center

(C.S.H.D.C.),

a

facility

which

treats

both

mentally

and

developmentally

disabled

individuals,

is

administered

by

the

California

State

Department

of

Developmental

Services

and

is

located

near

the

city

of

Camarillo,

California.

One

of

the

hospital’s

programs,

which

consists

of

five

residen-

tial

treatment

units,

has

a

housed

bed

capacity

of

169

and

averages

160

treatment

staff.

Of

the

five

units,

three

treat

the

develop-

mentally

disabled

offender.

The

program

is

licensed

by

the

state

under

Title

22

as

an

Intermediate

Care

Facility

for

the

Develop-

mentally

Disabled

and

is

certified

by

the

federal

government

through

the

Departmentof

Health

and

Human Services(H.C.F.A.)

for

federal

reimbursement.

The

program

received

an

initial

two-

year

accreditation

in

1983

and

completed

the

resurvey

in

October

1985,

with

the

expectation

of

an

additional

two-year

accreditation.

Program

Description

Two

units

treat

adult

males

and

one

unit

houses

both

male

and

female

juveniles.

Admissions

criteria

include

an

I.Q.

range

from

55

up

or

an

ability

to

comprehend

and

participate

in

the

rather

sophis-

ticated

behavioral

programming

the

program

provides.

All

individuals

are

committed

by

the

judicial

system

under

the

following

commitment

codes:

1.

Section

6500

of the

Welfare

aud

lustitutiorus

Code:

Allows

for

a

maximum

of

one-year

commitment

for

an

individual

who

has

been

proven

to

be

develop-

mentally

disabled

and

a

danger

to

self

or

others.

This

code

can

be

utilized

to

recommit

an

individual

at

the

termination

of

the

original

commitment.

but

the

above

criteria

must

again

be

proven

in

a

court

of

law.

2.

Section

1.’170.1

of the Penal

Code:

Allows a maximum

three-year

commitment

if

thp

individual

has

been