American Prisons and Jails, Volume 1 - Summary and Policy Implications of a National Survey

• NCJ Number: 75752
• Author(s): J Mullen; K Carlson; B Smith
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 171 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-018-77
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Abt Associates, Inc
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This volume summarizes the major findings of a national survey of American prisons and jails and draws implications for corrections policy.

Abstract

The survey was mandated to determine whether the Nation's Federal, State, and local corrections facilities were adequate to meet the needs of their expanding prison populations; what could be expected about the size of the future prison population; and how various proposals for more determinate sentencing structures might affect the use of imprisonment and the need for additional correctional resources. To provide the context for the selection of measures to determine the adequacy of prison housing, the volume provides a brief perspective on the role of judicial, executive, and professional agencies in developing standards of facility operations. It introduces the decision to focus on standards that would assist in quantifying the extent of crowding among the Nation's prisons and suggests that significant changes should be made in confinement policies in many States. In addition, the projection models summarized attempts to describe the ways in which actors throughout the criminal justice system now behave and the future consequences for prisons and jails if they continue to follow the patterns established in the 1970's. The limited analyses summarized on the impact of mandatory sentencing laws and practices in several States suggest that the dynamics of population flow may have been altered but that average daily populations have not departed significantly from the trends observed prior to the statutory changes. Finally, the volume discusses some of the policy options commonly considered in Federal, State, and local efforts to remedy the crowded conditions the survey found. Among the recommendations offered is that legislatures adopt standards defining the minimum living space and conditions to be provided each prisoner. Chapter notes, tables, graphs, diagrams, and appendixes with supporting data are included.