NCJ Number
86966
Date Published
1982
Length
31 pages
Annotation
Suggestions for ways to reduce prison and jail populations are categorized under the general areas of prearrest, pretrial, posttrial, and postrelease.
Abstract
The criteria for the selection of alternatives to imprisonment are that they (1) be the least restrictive and coercive, consistent with public safety; (2) be designed for persons already in prisons and jails or likely to receive such sentences; (3) seek to reconcile the victim, the community, and the convicted person; (4) involve lay persons in the program design and implementation; (5) have a clear, achievable goal; (6) allow for multiple options; and (7) not promise to cure crime, end recidivism, or rehabilitate people. Prearrest actions that can help reduce jail and prison populations are the decriminalization of victimless crimes, mediation and arbitration alternatives to formal adversarial trials, the use of drug and alcohol abuse programs for persons that would otherwise be arrested and processed, and citizens' rights education to help persons avoid arrest and detention. Pretrial actions that can assist in reducing jail and prison populations should include the use of citation and summonses rather than arrest and detention, the expanded and more effective use of pretrial release and pretrial screening, and the use of night and weekend courts so that low-risk persons may not have to be detained while awaiting court action. Posttrial efforts that can reduce the inmate population include the expanded use of restitution, fines, and community service; the more frequent use of probation; the use of short determinate prison sentences; sentence review; and the use of work and education furlough, community residential centers, and halfway houses. Postrelease efforts that can help reduce the chances of a return to prison include the giving of adequate 'gate money,' the reinstatement of the ex-offender's civil rights, and the provision of postrelease support. Fifty-nine references are listed, and the names and addresses of national youth advocacy groups are provided. The strategy of being a 'prisoner ally' is also described.