ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the number of issues that will be pertinent for the future of social work practice in the criminal justice system. It also discusses the lessons learned from social work practice models in the criminal justice systems found in the Netherlands and Scotland. Legislative acts are an example in which social workers should remain current when providing services to both individuals with criminal justice involvement as well as individuals without such involvements. A model for social work practice in the criminal justice system comes from the experiences of social workers in the Netherlands surrounding the Dutch drug policy. A relatively recent event in the US social work educational system is the development of practice standards for substance abuse. The varied tasks that social workers perform in the components of the criminal justice raises questions regarding what content should be emphasized in criminal justice courses offered in social work education programs.
